Colours of Love
by Hyagral
Summary: Simple yet beautiful. Dramatic yet tragic.
1. Chapter 1: Turbulence amidst serenity

**COLOURS OF LOVE**

**Chapter 1: Turbulence amidst serenity**

Kira gazed out of the multi-coloured window into the vividly serene atmosphere, paying no heed to what the professor was preaching. The thoughts that were running through his mind were unstoppable. He did not understand why he had not been able to get Cagalli to do that with him. Hadn't the atmosphere been romantic enough? It was actually one of the few times he had been rejected.

Cagalli…she was the one whom he had his eyes set on at the very first time they met. Her long flowing hair, brushing gently across her sleek physique, well-filled chest, and slender legs were all part of her attraction and the curves in the right place had caught his attention when he was sipping his vodka in the pub near the school.

"Shit!" muttered Kira under his breath, everything seemed to be unpleasant at that moment.

"That is most certainly not the answer to what Romeo said," exclaimed Professor Yula as the students giggled in unison. "I was expecting you to be paying more attention in class now that your grades are falling apart. I am afraid I cannot help you if you don't want to help yourself," he said as he faced the blackboard again.

"Shit!" muttered Kira again as his thoughts flowed back into his mind again. Why, everything seemed to be falling apart for him.

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Athrun Zala was having troubles about asking someone to go to the annual winter festival celebration ball. He was tired of making excuses every year about being sick so that he would not be laughed at by his peers. He was by far the only virgin left in his class and was constantly at the end of his classmates taunts. He was not bad-looking and was in fact quite handsome with his long frocks and deep glistening eyes. It just happened that his characteristic was merely timid and shy.

A tiny voice popped up in his brain.

_Cagalli would make a great choice._

_No. _said another voice. _Quit daydreaming._

_But I really like Cagalli, I truly admire her._

_No she belongs to Kira already. And do you have the guts to ask her even so?_

_I…I…_

Athrun let out a long sigh. _Maybe one day I will muster the courage to ask her, _he thought in his mind.

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Miriallia frowned as her eyebrows met at the centre. She was having trouble playing Ramanio's _Altidio in G minor _and was frustrated to the core. The image of Dearka surfaced in her mind every now and then. Did she seriously like him?

_Never! _She thought, slapping herself for even asking herself that question.

She would _never _like the self-stinking, snobbish and hateful playboy. Had she forgotten how he had laughed at her and played those dirty pranks on her? Could she forgive him when he had been the first to point out her menstrual blood stain……

_She had been skipping along the marble walkway, chatting with her classmates, Fllay and Cagalli. _

"_I reeeally love that cute and cuddly kitty cat at Toy'r'rus, but pity I can't afford it," sighed Fllay._

"_You want a kitty? There, there's one cuuuute RED one imprinted behind Milly's ass!" laughed a familiar voice as Dearka emerged from behind them as he put particular emphasis on the word, red._

_His remark drew the stares of many others as they peered curiously at her ass, wanting to see what was going on. She caught sight of it herself as the tears of embarrassment trickled down her rosy cheeks and she remembered the look on Dearka's face, as she tore off to the washroom. _

_That bloody scum, I hate him! I hate him! She thought furiously as she ran, leaving a mixture of tear and blood streak staining the floor._

Yes, that was the emotion to feel. Hate. She hated him deep down to the core, there was to be no qualms about that fact. Unless…

Again she slapped herself, as she tried to refocus her attention onto her piano practice, shaking her head in frustration and annoyance. However, one thing till now that she could not deny was that the stain had curiously enough, really taken the shape of a cat.

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The bell rang as the students reeled out of the class. Kira packed his bag, stuffing the blank assignments and worksheets in his bag, with no heed that they were being crumpled into a pile.

"Damn!" he thought, "I MUST get her to do it after the ball next week", he thought angrily, slamming his fist on table in rage as he kicked the chair onto the floor and strode out of class.

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A/N:

Alrighty, that sums up the first chapter. Please gimme your feedback which I will appreciate greatly/


	2. Chapter 2: Double Encounters

A/N: Yippy, forgot about that, already turned on anonymous reviews so feel free to post your comments. And story's only in beginning stage so their characteristics are still quite different and nope, Kira and Cagalli are not twins in this story. Luv u all out there!

**Chapter 2: Double Encounters**

Cagalli rushed, breathless up the stairs as the morning sunlight filtered in. She was late for class and could not afford any delays, thus she ran like the wind. As she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, she felt something hard collide into her back.

"OW!" she exclaimed, rubbing her shoulder tensely as she turned around to see who the person was.

"Athrun! What is wrong with you? Can't you look where you are going?" Cagalli snapped at him. Athrun bowed his head, not in shame, but in utter embarrassment as he felt his cheeks burning. Slowly, he lifted up his head, as Cagalli's face, etched with a deep frown, came into his view.

Cagalli's face appeared so beautiful even as she was angry. Her large eyes sparkled in the sunlight and he could not help but admire every inch of her face, she had such a wonderful and flawless complexion, which he developed an urge to touch.

"Hey! What's up?" Cagalli shouted, waiving her hand, as her voice snapped Athrun out of his dream. Athrun mumbled a soft sorry, as he stood up and turned his back, walking off. Cagalli did the same but just as she was about to step up the stairs, she heard her name being called. Reeling round, she saw Athrun standing face-to-face with her.

"Er… Cagalli, do you mind going to the winter ball with me?" Athrun muttered. He did not know what had made him say that, as he had just felt an impulse to do it. Feeling utterly abashed, he dropped his head and turned around to walk off even before Cagalli opened her mouth to answer.

"Wait…Athrun, I…I'm really sorry, but I have already promised Kira to go with him… and … er …." Cagalli uttered as she rushed to catch up with him. Athrun turned round to face her and the both of them looked equally abashed. What followed was a period of awkward silence.

"Er… well, I better get going then, I am late for class and er… see you," Cagalli said finally after what seemed like eternity, breaking the silence, as she rushed up the stairs leaving Athrun standing at the foot of the marble stairs.

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Miriallia sat alone in front of the fountain of knowledge, as the water lapped gently behind her. She had planned to meet up with Cagalli and Fllay to go for lunch at the _Hostics, _and was the first to arrive. It had been a tiring day in school, as she let her eyelids close to catch a wink.

Just as she was about to doze off, someone fell on top of her as she lost her balance, falling into the pool behind her. _Splash! _Miriallia plunged headfirst into the icy pool. It was not long after before she surfaced, drenched completely. She felt an excruciating pain in her left wrist, as tears began flowing down her cheeks.

"Are you alright? I am so sorry Milly, I didn't do it on purpose. They were the ones who pushed me," Dearka said, rushing towards Miriallia, as he lifted his finger and pointed to his classmates. "I really wasn't --" he broke off immediately as he noticed that Miriallia's wrist was bleeding, and seemed awkwardly twisted.

"Your hand's bleeding! Let's go to the first-aid room immediately. The nurse there will know what to do," he muttered in one breath as he draped her other hand around his shoulder and helped her to the first-aid room.

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Athrun returned to his dormitory as he sat on his bed, burying his face in his hands. Cagalli had just rejected him and his heart felt torn into into pieces. _Why is god so unfair to me? _Athrun thought as teared soulfully. _Why can't he just let me be with the one I truly love? _

_"…I've already promised Kira…" _Athrun recollected Cagalli's answer, as a mixture of hate and jealousy erupted inside him like a volcano. Kira…How he hated that name, he was the one who stole his beloved Cagalli. However, Athrun had no idea that this minor hate and jealousy in him would soon, develop into something much worse and unthinkable.

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A/N: Well, chapter 2 done. I know it is rather short but what happened is just a lead-up to the next chapter, where it will get longer and more interesting so stay tuned! And also thank you all for the reviews cuz it was a great confidence booster. You rock ppl so keep those coming in. Bye for now!


	3. Chapter 3: Unexpected

A/N: Well, thanks for the positive feedback. On to chapter 3 then.

**Chapter 3: Unexpected**

"Her wound is deep and she has a minor fracture, thus I am afraid she will have to stay in the hospital for quite a while…" the nurse informed Dearka and gang, her eyes scanning through the medical analysis. Dearka felt his cheeks burning, as he dropped his head in shame. _How could I have hurt her? Oh Milly, please don't hate me for this, _Dearka prayed silently.

Standing beside Miriallia's bed, guilt penetrated through Dearka's heart like a spear as he saw how badly wounded her arm was. It was bandaged several times and had to be held in a cast. _This is all my fault, _Dearka thought, clenching his fists. In his heart, Dearka made a silent resolution to visit Miriallia every day till she had fully recovered.

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_"Cagalli… Cagalli.., you are my flower and I am your sunshine. You make me drool but I'm sure you find me cool. I like your chest and you like my vest. You are the one for me and I am the guy for thee," _Kira recited, adopting the tune of a nursery rhyme.

"How's that? First time writing a romantic poem, not that bad I think, at least some of the lines rhyme. I am sure after Cagalli hears it, she will be moved to tears, don't you all think so?" Kira questioned his friends.

"Yeah right, she sure will, but she will be shedding tears of disgust. Oh man, that completely sucks! Can't you think of something better than that?" Yzak replied sarcastically.

Kira sighed. In fact, he himself had actually not found it to be romantic, but was just hoping that others might have thought differently.

"Argh! I give up! I can't think of anything already. The ball's around the corner and I have to get her touched or else my plan won't work. Argh! My head is throbbing madly, I think I'm gonna be sick," mourned Kira, as he shook his head in

resignation.

"Jeez! Your head is burning hot! I think you better visit the doctor," Shin advised, withdrawing his hand from Kira's burning forehead.

_At the school clinic…_

"I think you are down with the flu, you will need plenty of rest. I will excuse you from any school activities for a week," the doctor said, removing the stethoscope from his ears. "And that means you are not going to the winter ball unless you have the intention of passing the virus to others," the doctor reminded.

"Oh no, I've already promised Cagalli to go with her, she will be mad when she hears this," Kira said as he let out a deep, long sigh.

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"Hi Kira, what's up?" asked Cagalli, holding the phone to her ear.

"Er… I'm sorry Cagalli dear, I think I can't go to the ball with you this weekend cause I've just been diagnosed with this stinking flu. I'm really sorry…"

Kira apologized.

"Oh, that's really bad. Now I will be the only one who will be going to the ball alone, and no, I'm not blaming you for that…"

"Well, you can get one of your friends to go with you. I am sure they won't mind going out with such a pretty…ppp…Ah….Ah….CHOO!" said Kira, letting out a loud sneeze.

"Jeez, you better take care of yourself, I'll ask around then. See ya," Cagalli answered, putting the phone down. She slumped onto the bed as she thought who she could ask to the ball, what bad luck. _Now, who can I ask to go with me? _Cagalli thought as she tried brainstorming. However, there was only one name that appeared in her mind … … …

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Dearka sat beside Miriallia, as helped Miriallia, who had just woken up, to sit up.

"Milly, how are you feeling? Does your arm hurt? I am really sorry, will you forgive me?" Dearka pleaded.

Miriallia glanced at Dearka. Tears were trickling down from his eyes. This was in fact the initial time she had seen Dearka cry. She had previously thought that he was an insensitive, unfeeling wart, but her heart began to warm as she saw his genuine concern.

"It's all right," said Miriallia as her face broke into a weak smile. Dearka returned the smile, as he felt a heavy boulder lifted from his heart. _Thank god she doesn't blame me, _Dearka thought as he held her hand in his.

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Athrun fiddled with his pen, twirling it back and forth. He still had not gotten anyone to go to the ball with him. Thoughts ran through his mind. _Do I really have to make up another excuse? If only I could get someone to… _

However, his thoughts were disrupted with the sudden ringing of the phone. _Who would call at such a late time? _he thought as he walked over to pick up the receiver.

"Hello Athrun, " It was Cagalli.

"Er hi, what's the matter,"

"Erm, I was just wondering if you are still available cause Kira's sick, so would you like to go to the ball with me?" Cagalli asked.

This piece of news came as an unexpected shock for Athrun. Did he hear correctly? Cagalli had actually asked him to go with her to the ball.

"Well um. sure, of course. I'll…I'll meet you at the main hall at seven then…see ya!" Athrun said, his hands trembling with excitement at the prospect of going to the ball with Cagalli. It was simply too good to be true. His dream had finally come true, Athrun thought as his face broke into a broad, joyous smile.

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A/N: Well, chapter 3 done then. The next chappie's gonna be about the ball so stay tuned :) Meanwhile, feel free to post your comments and reviews about your thoughts for this chapter. Bye for now then…


	4. Chapter 4: A Twist of Luck

A/N: Well a little romancing here first, to add to the tension of course :)

**Chapter 4: A twist of luck**

The day was long, they still had morning and afternoon classes before they were released for preparation of the ball in the evening. The atmosphere was constant throughout the class, no one was paying any attention to what the teacher was saying and many teachers, noticing, gave up teaching and let the students did whatever they wanted to do.

Athrun's was completely lost in his own world. He was picturing Cagalli in a long, silk evening gown which captivated everyone. He, Athrun, would be the one would be walking alongside the gorgeous Cagalli, and the very thought of this had kept his spirits up for the past few days. He had been the apple of envy of his classmates and he felt that it was as they had described to be, "a twist of luck".

"Hey Athrun, what's with the dumb smile?" muttered Andy from the corner of his lips so as he would not be spotted for talking in class.

"Oh… nothing, I was just…" replied Athrun blushingly. It was after all the best thing in his life that had ever happened and he had every reason to rejoice. Thoughts immediately engulfed his mind, as this time, he recalled the encounter with Kira the day before at the dormitory basement.

_"Hey Athrun," Kira shouted after him, "I heard Cagalli's asked you to REPLACE me to go to the ball with her," placing particular emphasis on the word replace._

_"Yeah, " mumbled Athrun weakly as he could not think of anything else to say._

_"Yeah, you better know your limits and not try to do anything funny! She's mine, YOU should know," Kira warned in an undertone as he swept off._

_Athrun's gaze followed Kira's back as he walked off. Anger raged in his eyes, as he felt a strong urge to shout back at Kira, to punch him in the stomach till he could not get up, ever. He, Athrun, was never going to lose…_

_--------------------------------------------------------------_

"Cagalli!" Fllay called out. "Which dress do you think I should wear this evening for the ball?" she said as she pointed to the three dresses, red, violet and black, lying on the bed.

"Just pick anyone," replied Cagalli casually. She never had a problem with dressing as all her clothes fitted her slender figure flawlessly. She slid the comb through her hair smoothly, as she thought about the evening to come. Her heart was beating very quickly, the reason however, she did not know. _Maybe… _she thought, but left that thought trailing there as Fllay turned to sought her opinion again, this time about which necklace to pick.

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"Dearka! Where are you going, the ball's starting in an hour's time," Andy called after him.

"I am going to visit Miriallia. I promised her I'll be there tonight," Dearka replied as he headed in the direction of the hospital wing.

"What do you mean, aren't you going to the ball, what's going to happen to –"

"Just accompany her. I'm sure she won't mind, she has enough friends to get going with," Dearka cut him off as he skipped off, leaving Andy standing alone, as he made his way back to his dormitory, thinking of what to say to the presumably fuming Lacus later that evening.

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Athrun arrived at the main hall fifteen minutes before seven. He was eager not to be late on their first appointment and had been very punctual. Dressed in long black pants, and a stunning deep blue vest over his white shirt, he drew the gazes of many as he peered around anxiously, waiting for the arrival of his beloved Cagalli.

It was not long before she arrived alongside with Fllay. Athrun easily spotted her as she looked absolutely stunning in her deep purple, bare-back, evening gown which hugged her slim figure perfectly. The small diamond necklace around her neck laid daintily on her well proportioned cleavage.

"Hi Athrun," greeted Cagalli warmly, as she walked towards him, forcing Athrun to tear his gaze off her gown to greet her.

"Hi Cagalli, you look ravishing," Athrun complimented, greeting her with a warm smile.

"Thanks. I wonder if they've started, shall we go in and take a look?"

"Yeah sure," Athrun replied as they walked alongside and made their way along the grand aisle towards the ballroom. The pair turned the heads of everyone as they walked past, with clear admiration and envy of the splendid-looking pair. Athrun's heart pumped furiously as his gaze now shifted to Cagalli's dainty hand beside him.

_Should I take it? _Athrun debated furiously in his mind. He lifted his hand slightly as the two hands came into dangerously close distance. He was just about to take it when he withdrew it suddenly. He had remembered Kira's warning and could not muster the courage to fulfill what his mind wanted to do.

They reached the grand entrance as the sight that appeared that in front of them swept their breaths away. There was only one word to describe it – grand. The glass chandeliers hung over them, sparkling like crystals as they passed under them. The whole place was decorated elegantly with the appropriate ornaments and the atmosphere was perfect.

"Wow!" exclaimed Cagalli. She had never seen the ballroom decorated like this before.

"Yeah, its absolutely ravishing. Let's stand over there first, shall we?" Athrun said, as he gestured politely towards an unoccupied corner."

"Sure," Cagalli replied as the pair walked off elegantly.

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"Milly, I heard that you can will be discharging next week. Is that true?" Dearka asked with concern as he sat gently beside Miriallia's bed.

"Yes Dearka, I can't wait," she replied as she gave Dearka a hearty smile. However, deep in her heart, she knew she was lying. She did not want to be discharged. In fact, she had enjoyed everyday of her stay in the hospital as Dearka had not only kept his promise of visiting her daily, but also brought fruits and comics everytime he came. She looked forward to his visits as they would be able to chat non-stop for a few hours before the nurse had to chase him out. The very fact that she was going to be discharged meant that all these would be taken away from her.

"Would you like a pear?" Dearka asked, pulling out a fresh green pear from the fruit basket.

"Sure, I wouldn't –", but her thoughts were cut off at that moment. _Isn't tonight the winter ball? _she thought. _Yeah, it IS tonight but why is Dearka here?_

"Dearka, the winter ball's this evening ain't it?" questioned Miriallia.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Don't you have an appointment?"

"Yeah, I do. But I figured out that you needed more care and after all, I did promise to come and visit you every evening, right?"

"But—", but she could not think of anything to say. Dearka had shown great concern for her, but she doubted that it was anything besides repentance but now, placing her as his top priority…_does he…?_

"Dearka…." Miriallia uttered weakly, as her eyes began to fill with tears.

Dearka put a finger onto her lip, cutting her off. Miriallia could see Dearka clearly as he inched towards her nearer and nearer. She could see every line on his face now as she closed her eyes in vivid anticipation.

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"And now let us all dance and celebrate in the ambience of this pale night," the headmaster declared. Melodious music sounded gently as young couples around them started to drift into gentle dancing. Athrun glanced at Cagalli, as though he was waiting for some sort of acknowledgement. But Cagalli seemed to read his mind as she smiled at him and the pair made their way to the dance floor.

"Well then, shall we?" Cagalli said elegantly.

Athrun could feel his veins threatening to burst, as his heart pumped blood to his brain at ultra speed. He steadied himself as he gently lifted his left arm, moving it to place on Cagalli's bare shoulder. His fingertips inched gradually, closer and closer…….

The sensation was overpowering, as waves of pleasure shot through his arm when he finally touched her skin. Her skin was smooth, tender and virtually flawless as Athrun gently fitted his palm into position. Cagalli was surprised at the touch too. It did not feel strange at all but was on the contrary warm and somewhat familiar. They reassured each other with a smile as they swirled gently to the harmony of the melancholic piece.

Athrun gazed with love, so pure and tender, into Cagalli's deep blue eyes. The pair maintained the intent gaze throughout the dance, as Athrun sought to enjoy what was to him, the best night of his life. Cagalli did not know why, as there was just a strange feeling inside her towards Athrun. She too, indulged in the mutual passion as Kira was at that moment, left at the back of her mind.

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A/N: Alrighty, then chapter 4 done. Ah, I had so much fun doing it. It is my longest chapter so far and I really feel a sense of satisfaction. How about you all, what do you ppl think? Please tell me about it….


	5. Chapter 5: Musical Experiences

A/N: Thanks for the comments, and I do apologize for the minor errors I made… Whoops! This chapter was quite smooth and the ideas just came in place…, anyways, on to the chapter….

**Chapter 5: Musical Experiences**

"Hello Milly, need any help?" Dearka greeted cheerfully as he stepped into the room.

"Hi Dearka, I told you I could manage myself. After all, there is not much stuff to pack," Miriallia replied, as she folded her skirt and tucked it neatly inside her bag.

"Well, it's the last time that we will meet in here since you are discharging today, and I thought maybe I could recollect the memories we had here. After all, we did enjoy our time here didn't we, Milly?" Dearka chuckled, as he held out his hands, sticking out his thumbs to indicate a kissing action.

"Dearka," Miriallia's face turned a deep crimson as she turned to her packing.

"What? All right, I won't make fun of you," Dearka said as his face suddenly transformed into a serious one. Taking a deep breath, he removed a stalk of rose from behind his back and knelt down in front of Miriallia.

"Dearka!" hissed Mirallia, as she turned her head around frantically to see if anyone was watching them. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"I know it's rather old-fashioned but oh well," Dearka said as he reached out to take Miriallia's hands, cupping them in his. "Would you be my girlfriend? If you don't trust me, I can prove my sincerity by sticking his head in the toilet bowl."

"Well I don't know…" Mirallia started, as she turned around, hiding her grin. "I am not sure whether you are true…"

"Of course I am true to you. I love you. And I will prove that I really do what I say," Dearka replied as he dropped the rose and rushed to the toilet.

Dearka plunged his head towards the toilet bowl but just as he reached the surface, he felt someone grab his shirt.

"Dearka, don't be silly, of course I am willing to be your girlfriend," Miriallia smiled reassuringly as she tiptoed and planted a light kiss on Dearka's left cheek.

"Woo-Hoo! Miriallia's willing to be my girlfriend!" Dearka chanted as embraced her tightly and skipped around the room with joy.

_--------------------------------------------------------------_

Cagalli rushed along the corridor as she was again, late for class. As she hurried up the stairs, her foot missed a step as she fell back…. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized, and closed her eyes in fright. However, instead of the marble floor, she landed into warm arms. Opening her eyes to look, she saw the ever-charming Athrun giving her a wide smile.

"Hi Cagalli," Athrun greeted as he helped her steady herself.

"Thanks Athrun, I thought I was going to die," Cagalli replied, as her fright vaporized in the warmth of his smile, the color draining back to her face.

"Well See ya then," Athrun waved as he beckoned Cagalli to go up. Cagalli smiled at Athrun, she felt something special for him. He provided her with a sense of security, something which she felt a lack of when she was with Kira.

"Oh, and er… I would just like thank you for the ball. You made it such a splendid night for me. Thanks!" Athrun added as he turned to walk off.

The happenings at the ball flowed back to her memory as she walked to class, bringing a radiant smile on her face.

_--------------------------------------------------------------_

"Hey Athrun!" Andy called out as he waved to his buddy, walking alongside him. "Did you see the new notice on the noticeboard?"

"What new notice? I didn't come across it," Athrun replied, puzzled.

"It was pasted this morning. It says that Mr Mu, the music teacher for class 2B has met with an accident and is suffering from a serious arm fracture. Thus, he can't teach music and they will be joining us for music for the next few weeks." Andy informed.

"He met with an accident, is he ok?" concerned Athrun.

"Ya, I heard that his arm is gonna need a good few weeks to recover."

"Hope he will recover soon. After all, I've met him before and he was a nice guy," said Athrun, as prayed silently. However, there was a strange feeling inside him that indicated that something pleasant was going to result.

_--------------------------------------------------------------_

"Hi Mirallia, I heard you are going out with Dearka, is that true?" questioned Fllay as she approached her.

"How do you know?" Miriallia questioned curiously.

"I am not the only one who knows. Its spread around the whole school and Dearka has acknowledged that too," Fllay said.

"That _idiot _Dearka. Why did he have to spread it around so fast," and just as she said that, Dearka popped up beside her.

"Hi Milly, whats up?" Dearka questioned.

"Dearka!" shrieked Miriallia, "Why do you have to spread the news around so fast, you idiot!"

"What? What's wrong?" Dearka looked taken aback. "Don't you love me?"

"I…I did, its just….I didn't want it to happen so fast, I…I am not prepared," Miriallia explained as she frowned.

"Don't worry. Trust me, I will be there for you no matter what ok?" Dearka enveloped Miriallia as he patted her reassuringly on her back.

"Am I transparent or are you two just going to carry on whispering sweet nothings to each other," Fllay cried out, indignant as the three broke out in laughter.

_--------------------------------------------------------------_

Entering the music room, Athrun saw the other class as he saw someone he did not expect at the corner of the room.

"Athrun! What a coincidence, you are in 2C?" questioned Cagalli as her eyes widened in surprise.

Athrun nodded lightly, not believing his luck. He would be able to see Cagalli every music lesson now for the next few weeks. It was simply too good to be true.

"Ok, everyone please settle down, today we will be learning how to play the guitar, does anyone know how to play the guitar?" questioned the music teacher.

A few hands shot up, including Athrun.

"Well, quite even… All right, I shall split you into two groups, those who know how to play will partner one other to provide guidance. Ok, you with you, you to you…" the teacher started assigning the partners.

"Athrun…you partner her," instructed the teacher, as he pointed to Cagalli. Slightly abashed at the coincidence, he took a seat beside her as they started to chat naturally.

"Well, the first chord: C major, partners please guide each other," he directed.

Not knowing how to do it, Cagalli turned to Athrun for help as he smiled and guided her fingers. This was the first time they held hands as Athrun blushed slightly as he held her dainty fingers and led them to the correct position. The pair gave each other a warm smile as they happily carried on with the lesson.

However, unknown to them, a familiar face was standing outside the window, his fists clenching at every sight he saw... … …

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A/N: Well well, guess I'll just leave the last part as a cliffhanger, till the next chapter do we meet again then… Bye for now : )


	6. Chapter 6: Calm Storm

A/N: No…Exams are here again : ( Luckily there's still writing to help me distress, well, on to the chapter then.

**Chapter 6: Calm Storm**

"Thank you Athrun, you are such a marvelous guitar player. I can't believe I actually memorized all the chords! You are such a superb teacher," Cagalli sang Athrun's praises as they walked back to their dormitories.

"It was nothing, you were just a fast learner," Athrun replied, blushing furiously as he looked away from Cagalli.

_Oh god! Cagalli thinks I am superb! _Athrun thought as he looked down and smiled at the floor.

_Wham! _A fist crashed into Athrun's face. The impact of the blow sent him reeling as he stumbled onto the floor with a big thud.

"Ow!" Athrun shouted.

Blood flowed uncontrollably from what seemed to be a broken nose, as it soaked up his shirt. His front teeth also seemed loose.

"Athrun!" Cagalli yelled in shock as she rushed to help him.

There in front of the pair stood Kira, his face contorted with anger. His chest heaved heavily up and down as both his fists were clenched as if he was trying to break metal.

"Kira!" Cagalli looked up and saw Kira. "What the hell did you do that for? Have you gone mad?"

"You!" Kira stormed, raising a finger as he pointed it accusingly at Athrun. "I told you not to mess with Cagalli! She's mine! Just because I was sick, huh? You think you can steal her from me?"

"No…," Athrun uttered weakly, his face still a bloody mass, "You…you got it wrong." He tried to stand up but the pain was excruciating and he cringed in pain as Kira continued, not noticing.

"What do you mean? You think I'm blind. You stroking Cagalli's hand, taking advantage of her- ",

"Enough!" Cagalli interrupted as she stood up furiously. "Athrun was just teaching me! Why the hell are you so violent! There's nothing between us, right Athrun?"

"…Ya," Athrun agreed sheepishly. _That was a lie, _he thought deep in his mind.

_There's nothing between us. _The words echoed inside Athrun's half-cracked skull. _Was there really nothing between them? Didn't Cagalli like him or was it just his one-sided love?_

"You see! You bastard! Look what you have done to him!" Cagalli knelt down again beside Athrun, as she draped his arm over her shoulder.

"What? You called me a bastard for him? He's got you bewitched. He –"

"Shut up, Yamato! I've had enough of you! Screw off!" she yelled to Kira as she turned towards Athrun.

"I'm taking you to the hospital wing. The nurse there will fix you up," she whispered to Athrun, hoisting him up as she walked off, leaving Kira standing lividly along the corridor.

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"Hey Milly!"

Miriallia spun round and as she did, her eyes grew wide with surprise as her lips came into soft contact with Dearka's lips.

"Elsman!" she called out indignantly as she looked round to see if anyone saw them. "We're in school!" she hissed.

"Does it matter? After all, everyone knows we're an item!" Dearka smiled gently to Miriallia's cute pouting face.

Miriallia sighed as she returned his smile. _Dearka was always full of surprises. _

"Well, Milly honey, Are you free this evening. I've got something to show you!" Dearka smiled mysteriously.

"What is it?" Miriallia questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You'll know when you get there. Meet me at the park at seven then, bye!" Dearka waved goodbye as he skipped off merrily.

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Later in the evening, Kira sat in his room thinking, his face buried in his palms.

_What made me do that? _He questioned himself, a certain guilt was present in his heart.

_Maybe they were really just friends as Cagalli told him._

_Besides, Cagalli herself already admitted that there was nothing between them. _

_How could he doubt her? After all, in love, there should be mutual trust, how could he have suspected her?_

_Oh Shit! Cagalli must hate him now! How could he explain to her?_

Guilt crept into his heart as he recalled how badly he had wounded Athrun.

_It was not his fault that he got assigned to the same class as Cagalli. _He reasoned to himself.

_Maybe I really misunderstood him. _Kira decided. The feelings of remorse engulfed Kira as he stood up and decided to visit Athrun and apologize to him with hope of seeking his forgiveness.

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Sitting on a bench, Miriallia saw Dearka emerge from the darkness. In his arms, he was holding a box.

"Hi Milly!" Dearka greeted as he sat himself gently beside her.

"What've you got in the box you said you want to show me?" Miriallia asked, pointing to the box.

"Wait…," Dearka said as he opened the box and removed the object in it.

It was a sculpture of a hand.

"Our art teacher wanted us to sculpt something which we felt was special to us," Dearka said as he passed the hand to Miriallia.

"What's so special about this hand?" Miriallia asked, puzzled.

"Look closer!" Dearka said.

As Miriallia took a deeper look, she was rewarded with a great surprise. Her name was imprinted on the palm lines of the hand.

"My name…" Miriallia uttered in surprise.

"Miriallia," Dearka paused as he took a deep breath. "I just want you to know that my love line, life line and career line are all made up of you. You are my one and only. I love you." He finally added.

"Oh…Dearka…," Miriallia said as a tear trickled from her eye. "I love you too."

She embraced Dearka as tears flowed uncontrollably as Dearka kissed Miriallia gently on her lips.

She returned his kiss as her tongue pried open his lips as their tongues came into contact. The passion grew strong as Dearka laid on top of her, his hands reaching under her blouse. Mirallia's nimble fingers niftily removed his shirt's buttons, as she felt his warm, muscular chest. Under the pale moonlight, the pair made love, so pure and tender.

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Cagalli sat beside the sleeping Athrun as she gazed at his bandaged face.

"Oh Athrun! Are you alright? I'm sorry. Its my fault. Kira hit you because of me…" Cagalli concerned as she took Athrun's hand.

Somehow, the pain in Cagalli's heart seemed greater than anything else, as tears fell from her face.

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Athrun opened his eyes weakly. He felt a pain in his ass as well as his nose, both which suffered minor fractures.

Looking down, he saw someone lying on his bed. Smiling gently to himself, he raised his hand weakly and ran it through the silky yellow hair, patting her head gently.

_Ah! _Athrun thought to himself. _It was indeed a misfortune turned to a fortune. _His injury had reflected Cagalli's concern for him, as the tiny flicker of hope in him steadily grew bigger.

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Kira walked across the field, making his way towards the hospital wing. Stepping along the corridor, he rehearsed his apology speech.

"Er…excuse me, which room is Cagalli in?" he questioned the nurse.

"The room right ahead of you," she replied as she pointed to the room.

Every step weighed a thousand tones as he approached the door.

Peering gently into the glass, he instantly received a shock. Cagalli was lying on Athrun's bed and his hand was on her head.

_How could he…! That bastard! _Kira thought as he heart contorted with fury and rage. Just then, as if something gripped hold of his heart, Kira felt an acute pain in his heart as he collapsed outside, clutching his chest.

"_Cagalli…" _he muttered, before passing out.

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A/N: Hmm…I'll stop here then. Gotta go now to mug for exams… Bye and btw, your support will be a great motivation pillar, if you get what I mean ; )


	7. Chapter 7: Lovely Expressions

A/N: Well, I have to say a big thanks to all reviewers, you ppl really gave me big support while I was mugging away. **MXCrocks, MyouseiSeed, jenniferseedlover, xoxoanimeluber, azna-azure…**n all the rest of the reviewers….Thanks really: )

**Chapter 7: Lovely Expressions**

She leant over his recline body, dapping the moist cotton on his forehead.

He was breathing lightly, as she ran her hand through his deep brown hair.

_Why did she feel so different towards him? _She thought in her mind. She had always disliked boys and her circle of friends were largely girls.

But he was just different from the rest.

There was an inert appeal that had attracted her towards him. Her heart throbbed wildly as she gazed at his face, letting her fingers brush lightly against his face.

He stirred gently on the bed, letting out a deep groan. He tried to open his eyes, but only managed to do so for a split second, as his eyelids shut again.

All he managed to see was a pair of baby blue eyes……

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"How was it?" questioned Fllay, as she hoisted her bag up her shoulders.

"It was long and hard. Very very hard," Miriallia replied, bearing a slight frown on her forehead as she sighed lightly.

"It was? Milly? I didn't know my…" Dearka faked a cough as he butted in from behind Miriallia and Fllay.

"Shut UP!" Miriallia yelled at Dearka. "You are the sickest moron I've ever met. Is your mind only filled with those sick thoughts?"

"But you said something about long and hard and I thought you were talking about…" Dearka replied, scratching his head puzzled.

"We were discussing the Maths test, you asshole," Mirallia spat. "It was so freaking difficult that I left half the questions blank."

At that she sighed again.

"Oh!" Dearka muttered, his eyebrows raising slightly in realization. Why did he always get yelled at by Milly everytime he appeared.

"My mum's surely gonna murder me for sure. She said that she would cut my allowance by half if I don't score a 70 at least this time, and I know she really means it," Miriallia dropped her head in disappointment. Maths was just one of the subjects she had always found difficulty in understanding the concepts.

"Don't worry," Dearka encouraged, "My maths is not too bad. Maybe I can tutor you," he said as he patted her lightly on her back.

"Thanks Dearka," said Miriallia, relieved.

"And by the way, talking about your mum, _my _mum says that she would like to see you this Saturday. You see," Dearka added, "it is her birthday and I've already promised her so please don't reject me."

"But Dearka…"Miriallia began, "I haven't even seen your parents before. I mean, what are they like? What must I say to them? What will they think of me? What-"

"Now now, Milly," Dearka cut her off, "That's three questions you've just shot at me. Just take it easy, they're nice folks, so just relax and be yourself. I'm sure they will like you."

"Well…I'm not sure…"Miriallia added as they continued walking.

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Kira stirred again. This time he managed to summon his strength to open his eyes. A girl with light pink hair and baby blue eyes came into his sight as he struggled to sit up.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?" Kira questioned as he groaned at the slight pain he still felt in his chest.

"I'm Lacus. Lacus Clyne," Lacus smiled gently as she helped Kira to sit up.

"Why am I here?" Kira asked her lightly as he searched his mind for the reason, scratching the back of his head.

Lacus smiled reassuringly. "I was walking towards the hospital wing when I saw you standing on the grass patch outside. Then, the next moment, you fainted on the ground. I thought maybe you were sick or what, so I brought you back to my dormitory here to wait for you to wake up."

"I fainted? Jeez, how could I can't seem to remember," Kira said as he rubbed his eyes lightly.

"Well, maybe you can try to recall why you were going to the hospital?" Lacus suggested gently.

Kira thought for a moment, cringing his forehead as he lapsed into deep thought.

_Why was he going to the hospital? Who was he visiting? _He questioned himself.

Cagalli. Athrun. The memories of the past night's events flowed back into his mind gradually. He was intending to visit Athrun to apologize for his rashness. But then, he had seen him with Cagalli and… everything just blacked out after that.

"Well?" Lacus questioned, "Can you recall what happened?"

"Yes…yes, er… sorry but I really have to go now," Kira said as he pulled away the blanket and stood up.

He had to get Cagalli back. He was not going to let Athrun steal her from him.

"But... wait. Are you sure you're ok?" Lacus concerned.

"Yeah…and thanks a big deal for bringing me back here," Kira said as he grabbed his sneakers and pulled open the door.

Looking at Kira as he rushed out of the room, Lacus had a feeling that this would not be the last time they would be meeting. There was just something special about him.

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"Hi Cagalli," Athrun greeted as Cagalli stepped into the room.

"Athrun, feeling better?" answered Cagalli as she sat herself beside Athrun's bed, "Want an apple?"

"No thanks. I…I was thinking since tonight's weather is quite fine, and I could also do with some fresh air, you wanna go outside for a walk?" Athrun finally asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Cagalli helped Athrun up as they walked slowly out of the room.

The night was inviting as the stars and moonlight shone upon the place brightly. The atmosphere was peaceful as the pair strolled slowly along the pavement.

They walked silently as both enjoyed the night's scenery with each other's company.

A sudden breeze blew past Athrun as he felt a deep chill.

The next moment, however, he felt the warmth of a hand holding on to his hand. Turning to look at Cagalli, Athrun saw her smile as he looked completely surprised.

_Cagalli was holding his hand. _Athrun tried to think, but all his mind felt was a sense of numbness.

"Athrun," Cagalli began as she turned to look straight at Athrun, "I don't know why, but I really feel at ease with you. My mind doesn't think of anything else but the moment we are spending together when I'm with you."

_Was she expressing her feelings towards him? _Athrun thought as his heart pounded furiously.

"I just don't feel this sense when I'm with Kira," Cagalli added as she looked slightly troubled.

Athrun looked at Cagalli's angelic face. He knew he had to do this now. Pausing, he took a deep breath and looked straight into her amber eyes.

"I love you, Cagalli."

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Saturday came unknowingly. Miriallia had dreaded the arrival of this fateful day. She was so nervous about meeting Dearka's parents. She had gone to shop around in the nearby departmental store for a suitable birthday present and took three hours before she finally agreed on buying a beautiful crystal swan.

"Hi Milly, ready to go?" Dearka asked as he barged into Miriallia's dormitory.

"Careful! Don't knock over your mum's present, it took me three hours before I finally decided to buy it," Miriallia warned Dearka, pointing to the small blue box lying on the top of the shelf adjacent to the door.

"What did you buy?" questioned Dearka curiously, as he took the box up and placed it next to his ear, shaking lightly.

"CAREFUL! Stop! Dearka, it's a crystal swan, don't break it," Miriallia cautioned.

"Well, lets get going shall we?" Dearka beckoned, as he looked slightly indignant at being once again shouted at.

The journey seemed to take a million years in Miriallia's heart.

Finally, they reached Dearka's house. It was a neat little building with flourishing lawns along the central pavement.

"Come on, Milly," Dearka said as they walked up the porch and stood in front of the main door.

"What's wrong, Milly?" Dearka questioned, "Your face seems pale."

"But…but…its just that…." Miriallia stuttered as a deep frown etched on her face.

"I just have a premonition that something bad is going to happen."

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A/N: Well, I dunno if the meeting of the parents was a bit too fast, but ah well… Till the next chapter…Chow and don't forget to review!


	8. Chapter 8: Parental Problems

A/N: Hey ppl, here's the next chapter. Btw, I know it may be too early to say this but I seem to have thought of a rather appropriate ending to the story while I was munching. It's a kind of beautiful yet tragic end, but I dunno about you all. If you have any views against a tragedy, pls tell me, and I'll dump this idea and think of a happier one later on.

**Chapter 8: Parental Problems**

Miriallia stood in front of the wooden door, gazing at it fixedly.

"Come on, Milly, everything's going to be fine, I promise," Dearka reassured Miriallia, patting her lightly on her head, as he swopped down and planted a light kiss on her forehead.

Miriallia gazed at Dearka, his smile warmed her heart, as she finally found the courage to press the doorbell.

Almost instantaneously, the door opened and there stood Dearka's mother, smiling graciously.

"Hi Dearka, and this must be the friend you told me? Mariah isn't it?" she said, turning her head to Miriallia.

"Its Miriallia, mum," Dearka hissed embarrassedly, as he gazed apologetically at Miriallia.

"Oh sorry, dear. I'm an old woman now. You must forgive an old woman's memory," Dearka's mum apologized.

"Its ok, aunty," Miriallia replied shyly.

"You can call me Beachie," Dearka's mum said as she shook Mirallia hand.

"Bitchy?" Miriallia called out, surprised.

"Mum! Haven't I told you to dump that dumb name of yours?" Dearka cried indignantly to his mum.

"Why? It sounds nice to me. Anyways, come on in," she welcomed as Dearka and Miriallia entered the house.

"Want anything to drink?" Dearka offered.

"Water will be fine. By the way, where's your dad? How come I didn't see him around?" questioned Miriallia, turning her head to look round.

"Oh," Dearka said, looking slightly surprised, "I expect he's upstairs. He'll come down later."

Miriallia settled herself comfortably on the sofa as she removed the precious gift carefully from her bag and laid it on the table.

Just then, she heard someone walking down the stairs. The footsteps were heavy.

"Hi. You must be Miriallia. Nice to meet you. I'm Tad," Dearka's father introduced warmly, as he sat down beside Miriallia.

"Er…hi Tad," Mirallia answered cautiously as her eyes were fixed on Tad's left arm.

His whole arm was covered with burnt marks and ugly scars. On closer look, it seemed rather lifeless.

While she gawked at his arm, she suddenly noticed that Tad was looking at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Miriallia said apologetically.

"Nah," Tad smiled, "It happened a long time ago in an accident. The doctor did ask me if I wanted to amputate it but I figured out that I would rather keep it, something like a momento of the incident," he chuckled lightly.

Miriallia did not know how to react. Here was a man who had lost the use of his left arm and was still laughing as if nothing had happened. _He must be very brave._ Miriallia thought in her mind, _to be able to endure such torture._

"Hi Dad. Miriallia, I see you have met my Dad," Dearka said unabashedly as he placed two glasses of water on the table.

Just then, Beachie called out for them to have dinner.

"Well well, your mother's calling us to have dinner. Let's go then, before she starts to nag," Tad said jovially, as the threesome stood up.

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Cagalli sat on her bed, smiling from ear to ear, as she cupped her mouth to giggle occasionally. The night's events replayed in her mind.

_"I love you," Athrun said._

_She gazed into his eyes. The feeling that she had in her heart was just insuppressible._

_"I love you too, Athrun," Cagalli replied as she gave him her warm smile._

_Athrun inched towards her as she closed her eyes in anticipation. _

_Her mouth came into contact with Athrun's moist lips as they embraced._

_Athrun was so good at kissing. She felt as if they were in heaven, as she opened her mouth and gave way to Athrun's prying tongue._

_They finally tore away from each other after what seemed like eternity,_

_"What about Kira?" Athrun asked, hoping that he did not spoil the moment._

_"I don't know. I think I'll tell him somehow," Cagalli answered, slightly troubled._

_Athrun held her hands in his as he looked straight at her, sincerity shining in his eyes._

_"Cagalli," he began, "I just want you to know that I've liked you for a very long period of time and I will be together with you no matter what happens."_

_This made Cagalli tear as she tiptoed to plant another light kiss on Athrun's cheek._

Cagalli raised a finger to touch her lips as she recalled this, smiling pleasantly. However, the next moment she looked troubled.

_How was she going to tell Kira? How would he react? _The questions raged in her mind.

However, she was interrupted in her thoughts as someone came knocking rapidly on her door.

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"How was the dinner, dear? Did you have enough?" Beachie enquired, looking warmly at Miriallia.

"It was great. Your cooking skills are simply fabulous, Aunty.. er…. Beachie," Miriallia thanked Beachie, as she wiped her mouth, removing the leftovers of a fantastic meal.

At that, she remembered that she had not given Dearka's mother the present she had brought for her. She paced to the table as she carefully lifted the box and brought it in front of Aunty Beachie.

"Oooh, thank you very much, miss er…" Beachie stopped as she thought of how to address Miriallia formally.

"I'm Miriallia. Miriallia Haww," Miriallia replied.

"Oh yes, miss-" she suddenly stopped in her tracks. "What did you say your name was again?"

"I'm Miriallia Haww," Miriallia smiled as she answered.

"Haww….You don't happen to be the daughter of Anthony Haww, do you?" Beachie questioned cautiously, as her face turned slightly pale.

"How do you know my father?" Mirallia looked taken aback.

Suddenly, the whole atmosphere changed as the once jovial-looking Aunty Beachie's face morphed into a face of thunder as she bellowed,

"Haww, you whore! Your family was the one who caused my poor husband's hand to be like that!"

At that she released her grip as the box containing the crystal swan smashed onto the floor into a thousand pieces.

"What?" Miriallia started as her eyes widened in shock, not understanding what had just happened as she looked at the shattered glass pieces on the floor.

"MUM!" Dearka yelled, looking equally surprised.

"You…" Dearka's mother began, pointing a trembling finger at Miriallia, "You were the one who caused Tad's arm to be in this state! You were the one who caused him to lose his ability to be a coordinator! You were the one who ruined his future! You were the one-"

"Beachie!" Dearka's father warned, "Stop that! How many times have I told you. It was not entirely his fault. I, myself was careless too. I should have known better than to stand behind the GAT-X003 Buster. Don't go around blaming others. And furthermore, this has nothing to do with Miriallia also!"

"No…" Miriallia began, as she closed her eyes, "This is not true."

"Now, dear," Tad began, "Don't take this to heart. I've already said, it was my fault, don't go around blaming yourself, your father did not know I was standing behind the GAT-X003 Buster when he started it. Besides, you were not even born when it happened," he said as he patted her back comfortingly.

"No…" was all Miriallia could utter. Tad's disfigured arm came into her sight once again as she cringed in disbelievement. _How could her father cause someone to lose his arm? How-?_

The pain was unbearable as she stood up and ran out of the house.

"Milly!" Dearka called as he chased after her.

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"Cagalli! Kira!" They called out at the same time as Cagalli opened her door.

"You were looking for me?" Cagalli asked.

"Cagalli, I've been looking for you. Where have you been?" Kira questioned, as he bent down to catch his breath.

"I... was busy with a project," she lied. _Should she tell Kira now?_

"Kira…" Cagalli decided that she had better end it early. "I've wanted to tell you….Let's break up." She finally added.

"What?" Kira asked, completely shocked. Somehow, the worst fear in his heart had came true.

"I…I have lost my feelings for you, so I think its best for both of us to stop," Cagalli continued.

"No!" Kira could not believe this was happening. _Cagalli was leaving him, leaving his world forever……_

The tears welled up in his eyes. _This was not happening, _he thought, _No… I cannot lose her… she's MINE!_

Suddenly, Kira forced himself on Cagalli as she screamed in surprise. Kira crushed Cagalli in his arms as he tried kissing Cagalli forcibly.

"You're mine…" Kira yelled as he kissed Cagalli fervently on her face.

"NO! OW!" Cagalli faked a cry of pain. This caused Kira to jolt back as he realized he was hurting Cagalli.

He released his grip on Cagalli as Cagalli took this opportunity to break free. Cagalli slapped Kira twice on his cheeks as she reeled in disgust.

The pain jerked Kira back to his senses as he awoke from his frenzy. Looking at Cagalli, he knew that there was no return as he rushed out of the room and ran all the way out of the block.

It started pouring as Kira stepped onto the open field. _Cagalli, why did you have to leave me?_

"WHY?" he screamed at the top of his lungs, as he crumbled on the ground, the tear drops flowing down his cheeks mingling with the rain drops.

Just then, he saw a handkerchief his side. Looking up, he saw a familiar face.

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A/N: Well, a nice and decent chapter in my opinion. Please R&R : )

PS: And don't forget to tell me whether you are ok for tragic endings!


	9. Chapter 9: Eternal Promise

A/N: Well, I guess you are all not very interested in wat d author says (gathering from the last chapter) so let's go then…

**Chapter 9: Eternal Promise**

Kira looked first at the hankerchief, his eyes slowly travelling up.

Lacus was standing beside him, her face wearing a concerned expression.

She helped Kira to stand up as she shielded him with her umbrella.

"Kira, what happened? Why are you standing in the rain? Its dangerous, you could be struck be lightning," Lacus reminded Kira as Kira wiped his tears.

"All the better, then I would not have to feel the pain of Cagalli leaving me." Kira replied sorrowfully, as he returned Lacus her handkerchief.

"Its not the end of the world, Kira. Cheer up, things could get better," Lacus smiled warmly at Kira.

"Better? With Cagalli gone? You don't understand. You have never liked someone before. You have never experienced the feeling of your loved one loving someone else!" Kira retorted, looking angrily at Lacus.

"I…" Lacus looked stunned.

Kira did not wait for her to complete as he ran off, sweeping the tears off his cheeks.

"… have liked you before," Lacus muttered softly, watching Kira's diminishing shadow.

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Miriallia sat on the bench in the park silently. She could not believe that the model father in her eyes had actually been the cause of not anyone, but Dearka's father's physical disability.

The sight of Tad's gruesomely disfigured arm reappeared in her mind as guilt penetrated through her heart like a cold spear.

"Milly!" Miriallia looked up as she saw Dearka standing there.

Miriallia dropped her head in guilt. She did not know how to face Dearka.

"Its not your fault Milly," Dearka repeated, sitting himself beside Miriallia.

"You…you really don't mind?" Miriallia asked, turning to face Dearka.

"No. It was an accident. No one was to blame. So don't take it too hard ok? Your father really didn't know," Dearka smiled reassuringly as he wiped off her tears.

"Thank you, Dearka. I…I really didn't know how you will react. I thought you might leave me…" Miriallia uttered.

"Milly, I will never leave you no matter what happens," Dearka assured Miriallia, cupping her hands in his.

Looking at Dearka, Miriallia felt slightly better. She knew that she had chosen the right partner. She returned his smile, as she placed her head lightly on Dearka's shoulder.

The events that night had tired her, as Miriallia closed her eyes gently, enjoying the comfort Dearka's shoulder provided her, slowly falling into a deep trance.

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It was the last lesson of the day. Athrun Zala, however did not feel entirely happy. This was the last time he would get to see Cagalli during music class.

It had been the only thing to look forward to especially on a boring day like Friday for Athrun especially with History, Literature, Maths and Philosophy lessons squeezed into Friday's timetable.

Walking to the music room, he recalled that day's events. He still could not believe that Cagalli loved him. This made him smile slightly but no sooner, a worry arose.

Cagalli said she would tell Kira somehow. Had she done so? However, he did not have to wait long for the answer as he saw Cagalli walking in the opposite direction and rushed forward to meet up with her.

"Hi Athrun," Cagalli greeted enthusiastically. However, she let out a sigh the next moment.

"Its our last music class together today," she remarked disappointedly.

"Yeah," Athrun agreed, "I think I'll miss the touch of your fingers."

"Me too," Cagalli replied, "Remember our first lesson together? Where you taught me how to play the different chords?"

"Yeah, and the bashing Kira gave me after the lesson," Athrun nodded, rubbing his nose, as he remembered the incident.

"Kira…" Cagalli frowned at the mention of his name. She knew that she had broken Kira's heart that night, but she also knew that it would be better to end it early than late.

"Kira…so er…" Athrun paused, contemplating on whether he should ask the question.

"Yeah, I've told him," Cagalli said reading his mind, "But I think I've hurt him a lot."

"He'll understand," Athrun answered, "After all, you can't force love."

"Indeed!" the music teacher shouted, making everyone jump suddenly, "That's indeed the piece we will be playing today! _You Can't Force Love!"_

Cagalli looked at Athrun as they both broke out in laughter. Amidst their laughing, Cagalli gradually felt better as she knew that she had made the right choice.

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Dearka looked fixedly at Miriallia as she ate her noodles. The way she sucked in the noodles was so cute and funny that it caused Dearka to smile slightly.

However, in his heart, there was a huge boulder. _Should he tell Miriallia? What if she gets angry?_

At that the upward crescent on his mouth turned around, his eyebrows meeting in the center as he recalled that afternoon.

_"Hello," Dearka picked up the receiver._

_"Hi Dearka, its mum," Dearka's mother greeted._

_"Oh hi Mum!" Dearka felt slightly surprised. Her mother rarely called him._

_"I was thinking…I wanted to ask you…" Dearka's mother stuttered as if she was contemplating on whether to continue._

_"What do you want to say Mum?"_

_"I wanted to ask you… Are you still going out with the Mariah girl?"_

_"Its Miriallia, Mum! And yes, is there any problem?"_

_"How can you still go out with her after learning what she did?" his Mum asked, flaring up at once._

_"What did she do? She didn't do anything! It wasn't her fault!" Dearka retorted angrily, knowing full well what her mother meant._

_"I don't care! Her family was the one who caused your father to be in this plight!"_

_"How many times must I tell you? Its not her fault! And I don't care too even if you object. I love her!"_

_"Love? You are too young to be talking about love! Anyway, I FORBID you to be with her, do you understand?" Dearka's mother shouted through the phone._

_"I love her! Do YOU understand? She's the one I want to be with and I'm going to prove to you that she's not what you think she's like!" Dearka yelled back angrily as he slammed the phone down._

"Dearka! Dearka!" Miriallia shouted, waving her hand in front of Dearka, waking him up from his trance.

"What's going on?" she questioned, "You've been looking out of sorts tonight."

"Its just…" Dearka considered for a moment. After all, they did promise not to hide anything from each other.

"Please don't get angry when you hear this," Dearka pleaded before continuing, "My mother forbids us to be together."

"What? But…but why?" Miriallia thought for a moment before she came to realization.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise, I won't leave you, that's my eternal promise to you, at most we'll elope," Dearka answered, reading the look on Miriallia's face.

"Elope? Does it have to be that serious?" Miriallia blurted out, shocked.

"Why? Don't you love me?" Dearka questioned.

"I love you Dearka but…" Miriallia frowned as she considered such a possibility.

"Don't worry, I am only saying that we'll do that at worst." Dearka assured Miriallia, understanding her worries.

Miriallia sat thinking, why did things have to be so complex?

"Miriallia," Dearka looked warmly at her, "You are a nice girl, and I'm convinced she'll like you. Maybe, I can also ask my Dad to persuade her? That should work…"

"I hope so," Miriallia sighed.

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Kira sat in his driver's seat, his teeth chattering at what he saw.

Cagalli and Athrun gave each other a hug before waving goodbye at each other.

"Athrun…" Kira clenched his fists as he uttered his rival's name.

The hate was overwhelming as he could feel the blood pulsating in his brain. He hated Athrun so much. He was the one who stole Cagalli from him.

"Cagalli…" Kira started, his eyes following Athrun as he crossed the carpark to go back to his dormitory, "She's mine. You…you won't be able to steal her from me!"

At that, Kira cried out in rage as he stepped on the accelerator, making his car hurtle forward.

In his mind, there was only one word…hate.

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A/N: Argh! Well…well we shall see what happens next... Chow!


	10. Chapter 10: Colours of Love

A/N: Wow, its chappie 10 already, since its 10… something marking a milestone should happen right? Read, enjoy and review… )

**Chapter 10: Colours of Love**

The car tires screeched as the car tore along the road. Kira glued his feet to the accelerator, as the image of Athrun grew bigger and more visible.

Any second now, the car would collide into Athrun…

Athrun heard the screech of the car as he turned face to face with the oncoming vehicle.

His eyes were blinded by two strong beams of light as he closed his eyes.

"ATHRUN!" was the last thing he heard before he fell onto the ground.

Kira swerved as he stepped on the pedal, causing the car to brake. Everything happened too fast. His heart was pounding ferociously in his ribs as he realized what had happened.

Athrun opened his eyes, directing it towards what should have been the place where he should have been at the instant of the crash.

There laid Cagalli, her petite body sprawled across the road as her head laid in a pool of blood.

"Cagalli…" Athrun did not believe his eyes. Stumbling to stand up, he scrambled to Cagalli, who laid spread-eagle on the ground.

Kira stepped cautiously out of the vehicle. He had closed his eyes at the moment of the crash and did not see what happen.

The same horrific sight which Athrun saw came into Kira's vision as he breathed in heavily.

_Why? Why did this happen? Cagalli…_

"Cagalli…Cagalli! I…" Kira came to light of what happened as he tore towards Cagalli and collapsed beside her.

_Wham!_

Kira fell backwards as he saw the outstretched hand of Athrun, his fingers clutched tightly.

"You bastard! Look what you've done to Cagalli!" Athrun tore out, his teeth chattering in anger.

However, Athrun knew that he had no time to waste now to bash Kira…Cagalli, Cagalli had to be saved.

"Don't worry, Cagalli. You're going to be fine," Athrun assured Cagalli as he bent down and lifted Cagalli up carefully.

_He was not going to lose Cagalli…Not after so long before they were finally together._

Athrun sprinted like there was to tomorrow as he headed for the nearby hospital. He was not going to let Cagalli die…

Not now……

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"Hello? Is that you Dearka?" Dearka's father questioned through the phone.

"Yes…I was thinking…" Dearka started, he did not know how to say it.

"What is it son? Why do you sound so depressed?" Tad concerned. It was one of the rare occasions where his son sounded so despondent and he knew something was not right.

"Dad…You know…The girl I brought home that day…Miriallia…" Dearka stuttered apprehensively.

"Oh!" Tad exclaimed, "Yeah? She was a nice girl…very courteous."

"You think so?" Dearka lighted up at his Dad's remark, "So, you don't blame her or anything like that?"

"No! Of course not! I've already explained that day. You didn't think I would object to you being together just because she's Anthony Haww's daughter?" Tad laughed.

"No. Its just…Mum called and protested against our being together so I was thinking could you…?" Dearka explained.

"Your mother just wouldn't accept the fact. Sure, I will try and talk her round, don't worry" Tad reassured Dearka.

"Thanks Dad!" Dearka put down the phone in delight as he felt a boulder lifted off his chest knowing that his father supported him.

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"How's she, doctor?" Athrun rushed forward to ask the moment he saw the operation room light turn off.

"We managed to save her life…" The doctor began.

This brought huge relieve to Athrun as he sighed, his worst fears allayed.

"Most of the wounds she suffer are skin-deep and would be able to heal in time. This goes for the minor bone fracture in her left arm." The doctor continued, at this point, he paused and looked slightly apprehensive.

"However, I must inform you that the impact her head received from the crash was rather deadly, thus causing her corneas to be damaged." The doctor ended on a heavier note.

"Her corneas are damaged? Does that mean she's…?" Athrun asked, the worst fear in his heart creeping in.

"Yes, she will lose her sight. However, if we are able to find a suitable cornea donor, she may regain her sight. However, I must inform you that finding a suitable cornea donor may take a long time as matches are rather rare." The doctor patted Athrun lightly on the shoulder as he marched off.

Athrun slumped into his seat. His mind was not comprehending this, _why did god have to do this now that they were finally together?_

Burying his face in his hands, tears slowly formed at the corners of his eyes.

However, somewhere behind the wall, another person also heard what the doctor had said. Overcome by guilt and grief, tears too trickled from his eyes. He could not believe that his moment of rashness had resulted in such drastic consequences to the woman he loved.

_Sorry, Cagalli. _he thought, guilt-ridden.

_Sorry…_

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"What? Grandma fell from her wheelchair? Sure, I will go and visit her," Lacus put down the phone as she rushed to the hospital.

Reaching the entrance of the hospital, she saw a familiar face sitting on a bench outside.

"Kira!" Lacus called out, as she walked towards the frozen boy.

"Why are you sitting here? Anything happened?" she concerned, as she sat apprehensively beside Kira, the memory of their last encounter fresh in her mind.

What happened next took Lacus completely by surprise as she gasped in shock.

"Lacus… I…I'm so scared. I didn't mean to do it. I don't know why this has happened," Kira cried out as he started crying on Lacus's shoulder.

"I…Kira, what exactly happened?" Lacus questioned cautiously.

"I…didn't mean to do it. But I'm really sorry for crashing into Cagalli and causing her to go blind!" Kira blurted out.

"You crashed into Cagalli … and caused her to go blind," Lacus repeated, slowly assimilating what Kira had just said.

"Please, you must help me. I really didn't mean to do it," Kira said as he broke into tears once again.

Lacus looked at the aggrieved Kira, her heart cried together with him as she came to a decision.

"Don't worry Kira, I will help you." Lacus said.

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Athrun crouched beside Cagalli's bed, holding her hand in his. The warmth of her hand warmed his cold icy ones as tears trickled down his cheek.

"Cagalli…Why? Why did you have to save me? I should be the one lying here now, not you…" Athrun wept sorrowfully.

Cagalli had saved him from the crash but had been blinded as a result. He did not know what to say to Cagalli when she woke up.

"Sorry, Cagalli, I got you into trouble instead of protecting you," Athrun moaned in pain as he sniffed gently.

"Don't be silly, its not your fault." Cagalli made an effort to heave out as Athrun looked up in surprise.

"Cagalli…you're awake…I'm sorry, your eyes…" at that, Athrun's tears started flowing down again.

Athrun looked into Cagalli's beautiful amber eyes. It was this pair of gleaming eyes which first attracted his gaze. Why? Why did god have to be so cruel to her?

Cagalli knew that she would not be able to see again. However, in her heart, she did not feel despondent or sad at all. Knowing that Athrun was with her was all she needed to know.

"Cagalli…why were you so silly to save me?" Athrun asked, clutching her hand tighter than before.

"I love you, Athrun. I'm sure you would do the same if I was in the same situation right?" Cagalli gave a weak smile and made an effort to squeeze Athrun's hand.

"But…you won't be able to see anymore…" Athrun bit his lip as he said that. The vision that Cagalli had to lead the rest of her life without her eyes was simply too devastating.

"No..." Cagalli started, "But that can be a good thing too right?" She gave a bitter smile.

"At least now it will sun when I want it to and or it will snow when I feel like seeing snow…" she smiled gently.

"Moreover, with you beside me, I can see love… the colours of love."

This statement caused Athrun to cry out even more as he vowed to stay forever by Cagalli's side.

"Cagalli, I will never ever leave you. I will always stay by your side to look after you…" Athrun reassured Cagalli, wiping the tears off his face.

"Another thing Athrun…Please don't blame Kira, I was the one who pushed him to this state…forgive him, will you? Promise me…" begged Cagalli.

Athrun looked at Cagalli. He could do everything but that. However, his love for Cagalli overpowered him as he looked into Cagalli's pleading eyes and nodded lightly.

This caused Cagalli to smile as she closed her eyes gently……

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A/N: Sigh…don't worry, things will turn out better. Bye for now… (


	11. Chapter 11: Surpressing hate

A/N: Amazing how time flies…I'm already at my 11th chappy…that means approx 10 weeks since I first started. Thanx all reviewers for your support thru the 1st 10 chaps…pls continue.

**Chapter 11: Surpressing hate**

Dearka sat on his chair pondering, not about the maths worksheet on his table but about the success of his father's persuasion.

However, deep in his heart, he knew that the outcome would not make any difference to his loving relationship with Miriallia.

Spinning his pen back and forth, he thought of the wonderful memories they had together as a smile emerged on his face.

His thoughts were interrupted as a light knock came on the door.

"Hi Miriallia!" Dearka greeted cheerfully, it had been a long time since they last met. Miriallia had been busy with her year end science project that they hardly had any time together.

"Dearka!" Miriallia shouted as she collapsed into Dearka's arms.

It came rather unexpectedly as Dearka held her together. Miriallia's eyes were red and sore and it was obvious that she had been crying.

"What's wrong, Milly? Why are you crying?" Dearka asked lightly, looking into her eyes.

"Cagalli's in the hospital. It was Ki-"

But she paused as she recalled Cagalli's plea in the hospital.

_"Who did this to you?" Miriallia shouted, holding on to Cagalli's hand._

_"It doesn't matter. Kira did not mean it, it was my fault that he ended up like that. Please don't go looking for him," Cagalli pleaded._

_"No! I must tell Dearka. He'll teach the swine a lesson. Oh Cagalli…"_

_"No! Please don't. I beg you…" Cagalli begged, gripping Miriallia's hand weakly._

"an…an accident … and now she's lost her sight!" Miriallia blabbed.

"What? Who's the bastard who did that? How is she now? Did she suffer from any other injuries?" Dearka exclaimed at this piece of unexpected news.

"No, thank god she is alright but now…" at that Miriallia started sobbing again. The vision of Cagalli's beautiful eyes not being able to see drove a knife through her heart.

"Lost her sight…I can't believe this happened. We have to visit her now!" Dearka said as he pulled Miriallia's arm out of the room.

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Athrun sat in his car, Cagalli's picture in his hand. It was too hard to bear. Why did god have to be so cruel to her?

Tears of anguish rolled like beads down his cheeks as Cagalli's words came into his mind.

"_At least now it will sun when I want it to and or it will snow when I feel like seeing snow."_

"_Moreover, with you beside me, I can see love… the colours of love."_

His gripped tightened on his steering wheel as he thought of the person responsible for her plight.

How he would like to punch the bastard in his face and chortle him to death. But he knew he could not do it as he had already promised Cagalli.

The memories of their time together flowed back to his mind…

_The first time they met…how captivating her eyes were…_

_The ball they attended together. It was the most pleasant memory he held as he remembered her pleasant touch on the dance floor…_

_The music lessons they had together…he remembered how he had held her delicate fingers…_

_The night in the park…Cagalli held his hand under the moon…The magical moment would forever be engraved in his heart…_

_Their dates that followed…each one more memorable than the previous…_

He stepped onto the brakes suddenly. It was simply too hard to bear. Pushing his hand through his purple hair, Athrun cried…

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Cagalli lied on the bed, all she could see was just a patch of darkness. Deep inside her heart, grief and pain was insurmountable. Athrun's visits…Miriallia's visits, they were all just all pretence to ease their worries.

Tears formed around her eyes, she could feel the sorrow in her heart. She knew that Athrun was crying now…crying for her.

A needle pierced through her heart as she thought of her family abroad. How they must be grieving for her now… Her mum, her dad, she would not be able to see their faces ever again. The pain of such a thought was unbearable.

Most importantly…Athrun, she would not be able to see his face again, his smile…, why did this have to happen?

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Kira knelt in front of his bed, his face buried in his hands. He had not meant to cause such a thing to happen... It was all an accident…

The earlier encounter with Cagalli caused his heart to bleed as tears welled up in his eyes…

_"Is it you, Athrun?" Cagalli asked, straightening herself up._

_Kira walked on, not daring to open his mouth as he walked towards the bed and helped Cagalli straighten her pillow._

_"Athrun? Who are you?" Cagalli muttered anxiously as she discovered that it was not Athrun. Athrun would always greet her warmly… who was this person?_

_Kira sat by her bed, his gaze on her eyes. The guilt in his heart was insuppressible as he wanted to hold her hand and apologize. _

_"Who are you? Say something…" Cagalli sounded frightened. However, deep down inside her heart, there was an inkling as to who this person might be._

_"I…I'm sorry, Cagalli… I didn't mean to do it. I…" Kira finally mustered the courage to say as he held Cagalli's hand and apologized._

_Recognizing Kira's voice, Cagalli immediately pulled her hand back and yelled at him._

_"What are you doing here? Get out! Look what you have done to me…Look at the state I am in now! Get out! Get out now!" Cagalli yelled as she made an effort to push Kira away._

_"Cagalli…please, forgive me, I'm sorry, I really didn't expect this to happen!" Kira pleaded._

_"Get out! Please, I beg you. I don't want to see you anymore…no…I can't even see you! You caused me this to be living in this misery…Get out! Or I will scream," Cagalli threatened as her face cringed._

_Kira knew that whatever he said could not reverse the consequences of his actions. Silently, he walked out of the room. Through the glass panel, he could see that Cagalli was sobbing, as he collapsed onto the ground._

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"Its been a long time since we had any time together," Miriallia remarked as she settled down on a bench in the park with Dearka.

"Yeah. I've missed you…" Dearka smiled, settling her hand on his lap.

"Me too. Oh, by the way how did things work out between your parents?" Miriallia questioned, the worry still etched in her heart.

"Not quite well…" Dearka started but broke off with a laughter after seeing the frown on Miriallia's head, "My father called this evening to say that Mum finally agreed!"

"Really? That's great! How did he do it?" Miriallia asked, relieved.

"Well, I didn't know this previously either, but Dad told me that he reminded Mum of _their _relationship…about how tough she had it when Dad's mum didn't accept her initially…and well… she sort of understood and gave in!" Dearka explained.

"Cool. Thank you, Dearka," Miriallia held Dearka's hands and thanked him.

"What for?" Dearka questioned.

"For going through all the trouble to make your parents accept me. I love you so much," Miriallia smiled and place a light kiss on Dearka's lips.

"I love you too, well…" Dearka paused, a grin emerged evilly on his face, "it was really a lot of trouble…so you will have to repay me!"

Placing his hand round her back, Dearka slipped his hand under her spaghetti stripes. Miriallia returned his touch as she started nibbling affectionately around Dearka's earlobes.

Their hands roamed about as pleasure ceased to exist just as a word.

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Kira sat watching the tape on his screen. Athrun was in the news, expressing how thankful he was to everyone for helping him win the inter-school mobile suit design competition. Kira had taped it down.

Kira's fist clenched so hard at the sight of Athrun that his fingernails pierced into his skin. His teeth chattered at the sight of his arch rival as the flames of hate raged in his eyes. But he knew, he had to bear with it.

He had to bear with it to achieve the greater motive he had in his mind. He had to persevere and accomplish this.

His eyes fixed on the screen, his mouth repeated after every word Athrun said.

Surpressing his hate, he repeated the tape as he made an effort to sound like Athrun. Taking in another deep breath, he repeated the words again.

He had to sound like Athrun. He had to……

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A/N: Yeah, well this chappy ends here. Its gonna get interesting on Kira's part so stay tuned. Oh yeah…please comment. Bye then.


	12. Chapter 12: Dark Scheme

A/N: Well, we meet again after a week, it's the hols again, well read on then…

**Chapter 12: Dark Scheme**

Kira picked up the telephone receiver, his hands trembling as he placed it beside his ear.

Cautiously, he punched the numbers in and waited anxiously for Yzak to pick up the phone on the other end.

This was his first experiment, it had been three weeks since he started his practice. The hours he spent would deliver the result today.

After what seemed like eternity, Yzak answered as Kira took a deep breath in and focused all his energy. Calming his nerves he mouthed out the word.

"Hello, Yzak," Kira greeted in a clear, crisp voice as he waited in anticipation for the answer on the other side.

"Oh, hello Athrun, what's up?" Yzak greeted normally, "I was just coming out of the bath. You were absolutely right, my chest muscle has indeed grown, geez it looks at least half a B-cup now, when you prodded it this morning…"

Kira hung up. He did not need to hear all that crap. Deep in his heart, he was trembling with excitement about his new acquired prowess.

He had succeeded. The weeks of training had paid off. He finally mastered it. He was one step closer to achieving what he had in his mind.

However, he knew he had to be cautious, Cagalli was not one to be fooled easily. Furthermore, with Athrun being by her side all the time…

Pausing, he drew in a deep breath as he thought of a scheme, a scheme that would deceive...

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"Cagalli!" Athrun greeted cheerfully as he stepped into the ward.

"Athrun, you're here finally, can we go now? I can't stand the smell of hospitals anymore!" Cagalli smiled as she held out her hand and waited expectantly for Athrun to take it.

"How about the smell of this?" Athrun smiled as he thrusted a bouquet of carnations into Cagalli's hand.

"Oh! Thank you, Athrun! This does smell lovely," Cagalli smiled radiantly as she inhaled the scent of the flowers.

The ice melted in Athrun's heart as he felt the warmth of her smile. It had been a long time since he saw Cagalli smile so cheerfully.

The doctor had granted permission for Cagalli to be discharged today as all her other sustained injuries had more or less healed.

At that thought, Athrun sighed. The doctor had said that it was pointless to wait in the hospital for a suitable cornea and had promised that he would inform him once they found a suitable cornea.

"I'm glad you like it. Well, let's get going now shall we?" Athrun started as he hoisted up Cagalli's luggage with one arm and wrapped the other around Cagalli's shoulder.

Cagalli steadied herself as she walked out of the hospital together with Athrun. After more than a month, she finally felt the warmth of the sun in her face again.

"Athrun," Cagalli turned to her left in an effort to face Athrun, "Will you leave me?"

"Why would I leave you? I promised you that I will look after you forever, I will come and keep you company every afternoon after lessons, don't worry," Athrun reassured Cagalli as they treaded past the lawn.

"Thank you, Athrun," Cagalli said as his words gave her a sense of security. It was this sense that Cagalli had first felt when they were at the ball.

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"Hey Lacus," Kira waved to Lacus as he rushed forward to meet her.

"What's up, Kira, I heard Cagalli's been discharged, did you manage to see her off?" Lacus questioned as she faced Kira.

"Yes," Kira lied as he pressed on to his motive for looking Lacus up.

"Anyway, you said you could help me that day right?" Kira asked, his hands trembling in his pocket as he waited for Lacus to answer.

"Yes, well how can I help you?" Lacus paused as she thought what help Kira might need.

"Well, as you know Cagalli has to stay in her dormitory for at least a month to fully recover, so I thought maybe we could swap dormitories so that it would be more convenient for me to look after Cagalli," Kira uttered in one breath.

"You want me to swap dormitories with you?" Lacus repeated, surprised at Kira's sudden request.

"Yes, please Lacus, I beg you. I feel really guilty knocking Cagalli down, and now I really wish to make up to her. I want to look after her as you understand Cagalli's present condition," Kira said as he paused to take a breath.

"Furthermore, my room is miles away from here and if we switch apartments, it would really be much more convenient," he finally ended.

"I guess so, but doesn't Cagalli have Athrun to look after her?" Lacus asked.

Kira's face cringed at the mention of his enemy's name, but made an effort not to show on his anger on his face.

"Well, Athrun can't be there all the time right, he still has lessons and his mobile-suit club activities, so I reckon I could help," Kira answered calmly, amazed at how he had managed to think of such an excuse.

"Well, I don't know. Did Athrun agree to you looking after Cagalli? I mean, after what happened…?" Lacus pressed on.

"Are you kidding? of course he wouldn't object to another person looking after Cagalli, so…would please grant me this favour" Kira begged, as he looked pleadingly into Lacus's eyes.

Lacus looked at Kira's charming face as she met his gaze. His eyes seemed so sincere that Lacus felt a strong jealousy as she struggled within.

_Should she accede to his request? Why did Kira like Cagalli so much? _

This made Lacus felt a strong sense of jealousy as she struggled to object. However, her love for Kira overcame this sense.

"All right then," Lacus nodded as she returned Kira's smile of gratitude.

However, what she did not know was that Kira's smile was a smile of victory, of triumph and not one of gratitude.

His plan could finally work now…

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"Oh no! What should I do? An eighty only for maths?" Miriallia recited anxiously, her hand holding her maths paper.

"Hello Milly," Dearka tapped Miriallia on her shoulder causing her to jump in shock. She was still not used to Dearka appearing behind her back.

"Dearka, look at this grades, what am I going to tell Mum? Oh my god!" Miriallia exclaimed as she looked desperate.

"Well, I have an idea!" Dearka said brightly.

"Really? What is it?" Miriallia's face lightened up.

"It's an idea…which I haven't thought of! Come on, Miriallia, I would jump off the roof if I got an eighty for Maths," Dearka joked. He understood Miriallia too well, she was a perfectionist in everything.

"That's not funny," Miriallia pouted as she walked off, leaving Dearka to chase after her.

"Milly, wait, I'm sorry," Dearka rushed up as he apologized.

"Never mind, listen Dearka, I'm gonna be busy the next few weeks, so I think we may have less chances to meet again," she said as she sighed apologetically.

"Why?" Dearka questioned, clearly unhappy at such a prospect.

"Cagalli's discharged but given her current condition, she can't go for lessons so I will have to bring the stuff to her everyday and I have to give tuition to Auel," Miriallia explained.

"Auel? Who is he?" Dearka questioned suspiciously.

"My classmate. You see, he requested me to tuition him in chemistry and I thought, why not? So, I'm gonna be meeting him three days every week," Miriallia carried on.

Dearka frowned slightly at the name, Auel. Somehow, he took a particular dislike to the name.

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Kira removed his eye from the eyepiece of the telescope stationed at the window facing the direction of Cagalli's dormitory.

The last scene made his fist shake as he saw Athrun kiss Cagalli goodbye before heading out of the door.

Kira had been studying Athrun's visits to Cagalli's room for the previous two weeks.

From what he had gathered, Athrun would leave every Tuesday evening for his mobile-suit club meetings and he won't be back till three hours later.

He knew that this was the golden opportunity to act as he made an effort to loosen the knot tied around his lungs and breathe normally.

What he had been doing the past few weeks had been amounting to this. He had to succeed. Steadying his feet, he stepped out, heading for Cagalli's room on the opposite block.

"Everything will work out just fine…" Kira recited in his head as he headed up the stairs.

It did not take long as he reached Cagalli's room. Closing his eyes, Kira paused and inhaled. This was the moment.

Raising his fist, he tapped lightly on Cagalli's door.

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A/N: Dum dum, well here's the end of this chap. Bye then, and don't murder me. And I'm still pissed off that Mike Newell cut the Quidditch World Cup scene from Harry Potter. Chow!


	13. Chapter 13: Seductive lures

A/N: Well... part 13 of the weekly digest is here. Somehow, my hands tremble as I type this…maybe I'm too tired. Hmm…, anyways I would like to say that its really an omg coincidence as I share **Angel of Dreams **feelings exactly! Well, on to the story then!

**Chapter 13: Seductive lures**

There was no answer.

Impatient, Kira tapped slightly harder. This time, he heard footsteps shuffling to the door.

Poising himself, he awaited outside the dormitory door. The door clicked as it slowly widened.

"Hello Cagalli," Kira greeted with caution as he stood staring at Cagalli.

"Oh hello Athrun, what's up? You forgot something?" Cagalli questioned as she opened the door wider and motioned for Kira to enter.

"No. The meeting's been rescheduled to Thursday. So I've come back to accompany you," Kira smiled heartily at Cagalli as he closed the door.

Sighing in gentle relief, he helped Cagalli sit before sitting himself comfortably in front of her.

This was the first time since the accident that Cagalli had not yelled at him in his presence and he did not mind one bit that it was due to his false identity.

Smiling, he looked at Cagalli, who looked equally happy knowing that she was with the one she loved.

She looked perfectly beautiful, just like before, except the difference now was that inside those sweet amber eyes, existed a pair of damaged corneas.

"Can you get me a glass of water?" Cagalli asked gently as she tilted her head to face Kira, who jumped slightly at the sudden request.

"Sure," he steadied himself before answering as he walked to the table to pour a glass of water.

_You mustn't do this or you'll hate yourself forever. _A little voice spoke in his heart.

_She won't hate you. She loves you didn't she say that before? _Another voice cried out.

_But you are deceiving her. Besides, look what you have done to her, don't you feel guilty? _The voice answered.

_NO! I must do this. You are not going to dissuade me! _The voice said with such force that caused Kira's hand to lose grip on the cup.

"What happened? Athrun, are you ok?" Cagalli asked anxiously as she heard the cup tumble.

"No…I mean yes…I'm alright don't worry," Kira answered anxiously, hoping that the anxiety in his voice did not give away his act, as he poured the water into the cup with trembling hands.

Kira sat down beside Cagalli as he held her hand and guided it to hold the cup.

The touch sent chilling nerves down Kira's spine. It felt familiar. It had been a long time since he touched her hand.

Cagalli sipped gently as she placed the cup on her bedside table. Smiling, she put a hand on Kira's lap, rubbing it lightly.

"You must be tired, having to rush to your classes and meetings and coming to visit me. Thank you very much, Athrun," Cagalli thanked Kira as she felt for his cheek and planted a light kiss there.

"Not at all," Kira answered, his heart pounding in anticipation as he returned the kiss fervently.

Cagalli felt something. Something strange…different. Somehow, the kiss did not feel the same. It was less powerful and seemed weaker.

However, she remembered what she Athrun's commitments and thus put it down to Athrun's fatigue.

Kira enjoyed every moment of the kiss. Never had they kissed so passionately when they were together.

_Athrun…its payback time. _Kira's heart seethed with flaming rage as he slowly removed his overcoat.

Just then, there came a light tap on the door.

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"Hey Milly, whats the atomic number of hydrogen?" Auel asked stupidly as he gazed longingly at Miriallia.

Miriallia had finally agreed to coach him in chemistry as he rejoiced at the chance of being together with his dream girl in her room.

"Well, I think its one," Miriallia answered bored, as she scribbled the answers on her chemistry worksheet.

"Wow! You are smart indeed! Not only do you have beauty but brains too!" Auel commented, his eyes glued onto Miriallia.

"Thanks," Miriallia blushed as she continued.

"What about its atomic weight?" Auel asked immediately, knowing full well that he had a copy of the periodic table tucked under his file.

"Err… I forgot, I thought we were given a sheet of the periodic table?" Miriallia frowned as she asked, bugged by Auel's persistent disruption.

"I…I think I lost mine, can you help me find it?" Auel lied as he pretended to lift his file to look for it.

Miriallia nodded as she stood up and bent over, rummaging through Auel's worksheets.

Auel took this chance as he straightened his back and peered into Miriallia's T-shirt hanging loosely and exposing her well-proportioned cleavage.

"Here it is," Miriallia exclaimed as she lifted up the sheet, startling Auel, who immediately resumed his original pose.

"Thanks," he muttered as he pretended to look at the periodic table.

Gradually moving the sheet of paper downwards, he scrutinized Miriallia's face inch by inch.

She had such a pair of cute eyes and her small nose made her look extremely attractive. Her rosy cheeks complemented this angelic combination.

Miriallia twiddled her pen as she thought of a solution to a question. Somehow, she found it hard to concentrate tonight.

There was this ominous feeling in her heart that something was happening to someone around her.

_Was it Dearka? What could happen to him? Cagalli? She had Athrun…_

Shaking her head in frustration, Miriallia bent down and forced herself to return to the worksheet staring straight at her.

After a few minutes, Miriallia gave up on doing as her mind simply could not focus. The reason, she did not know why.

"Why don't we take a break?" Miriallia suggested, as she stood up and walked to get a glass of water.

Auel watched her walked away, his eyes fixed on her swaying hips as his gaze traveled downwards gradually.

Standing up, he made a move also to pour a glass of water but purposely stuck out his feet.

"Argh!" Miriallia shouted as she tripped over and fell on top of Auel on her bed, her body pinning his.

Dearka whistled, as he raised his hand to knock lightly on the door. However, he found that it was slightly ajar.

"Hm… she must have forgotten to close it," Dearka grinned evilly as he pushed open the door and yelled,

"SURPRISE!"

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"I'll get it," Cagalli stood up as she made her way slowly to the door. Athrun would always let her do it, as he knew better than to hurt Cagalli's pride.

"Hi Cagalli," Shiho greeted as Cagalli opened the door.

"Shiho? Is it you? What are you doing here?" Cagalli asked in surprise.

"Miriallia couldn't come, so she asked me to pass the notes to you," Shiho handed the notes over to Cagalli.

"Thanks, I'll get Athrun to read it to me later. You wanna come in for a drink?" Cagalli offered as she made way in a motion to let Shiho in.

"No, thanks. I heard voices, you're with Athrun?" Shiho questioned lightly.

Kira's heart skipped a beat as he breathed nervously. _No, he was not going to be exposed so easily, his hardwork…his practice…_

"Yes, he's inside," Cagalli answered as she smiled.

Shiho tried to peer inside but Cagalli blocked her view. Quietly she retreated as she waved goodbye to Cagalli.

"Bye Cagalli. Take care," Shiho walked off as she swore she had seen a flicker of brown hair in the room. Shaking her head, she walked off.

Cagalli closed the door as she made her way carefully back to Kira. Kira recovered from his shock as he rushed forward to help Cagalli.

"Well, the notes can wait," Cagalli grinned as she settled the notes on her bedside table and placed her arms round Kira.

Kira smoothed his palm against Cagalli's cheek. It felt so soft and tender.

Cagalli trembled slightly, as she took to kissing Kira. Kira, his heart pounding furiously as the demon in him unleashed.

He kissed down Cagalli's neck crook, gradually working his way downwards.

Cagalli laid back and tried to relax. A few minutes later, Kira settled himself above Cagalli.

He took a deep breath in as he thrusted in from the front.

"OW!" Cagalli squealed as her muscles tightened. Closing her eyes, she let Kira continue as night gradually settled in.

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Kira walked out of the room as he closed the door gently, rubbing his hands in glee as he recounted what had just happened.

Just as Kira walked off back to his dormitory, Athrun returned from his meeting and walked up to Cagalli's door.

He raised his hand and wanted to knock it, but glanced at his watch.

"Its so late already, she should be sleeping by now, well I guess I won't disturb her," Athrun remarked as he turned and walked off.

Meanwhile, in her room, Cagalli, slept, more soundly than ever.

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A/N: Thanx for reading and not yelling at me : ) …till the next chap…ccCHOW!


	14. Chapter 14: Misunderstandings and Doubts

A/N: Phew! Finally made it past the JLPT! Yeah! Did not mug much though…hope I can pass or I'll be really sad… Hey ppl, anyone learning Japanese or took JLPT, say hey! Well, on to the chap then…

**Chapter 14: Misunderstandings and Doubts**

Dearka stood rooted to the spot. His heart seemed to stop beating.

The echoes of the last word he uttered slowly faded the silence crept slowly into the room.

"Milly…you…" Dearka uttered, his gaze fixed on the image of Miriallia pinning Auel on the bed.

"No…Dearka, its not what you think, I was…was," Miriallia fumbled for a way to explain the situation to the red-faced Dearka as she scrabbled to get up.

Greeted with the same shock as Dearka, Auel bolted up immediately. He knew of Dearka's temper as he stood up slowly, his heart pounding with fear.

"Dearka, its not like that, I…she…Milly was just giving me tuition and-" Auel tried to explain as he stumbled on his words.

Dearka's heart raged with fire. He wanted very much to find the anger, the strength that he once had to punch Auel but he could not.

All he found was a sense of lost…a sense of emptiness. The shock was simply too great for Dearka handle.

"Milly…Auel," Dearka uttered as he tried to summon the strength to lift his fist to deliver a blow to the bastard's face.

However, the strength seemed to surge to his feet as he found himself tearing away from the room.

"WAIT! Dearka!" Miriallia called out, as she pushed Auel out of the way and ran after Dearka.

Sprinting, Dearka hurtled past the corridor as he ran downstairs. His feet took him across the field, past the principal's office, as he finally stumbled onto the ground.

Collapsing, he bent over as he felt a sharp pain surge through his ribs. He did not believe this…

_How could Miriallia betray him, after they had gone through so much together? Why did she have to do this?_

_The promises they made to each other…did they mean nothing at all? Why did he have to witness such a cruel scene?_

Burying his face in his palms, Dearka finally released. The tears, tears of sorrow, of disappointment descended slowly.

The sky darkened as clouds crept menacingly over the horizon. No sooner, raindrops pelted from the sky.

Dearka felt the rain pelting against his cheeks. Raising his hand, he smoothed his cheek, as he felt the tingling feeling of the rain and his tears.

This jolted the memory of the first kiss Miriallia planted on his cheek. The day at the hospital… the innocence they once shared…

"Miriallia…" Dearka cried out as he felt pain surging through his heart. Slowly, his fingers clasped together as he broke down.

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Dawn broke as Miriallia woke up in her bed. She recalled what had happened last night…

She had ran after Dearka downstairs but had lost sight of him as it began to pour.

Still, she looked around hoping to find Dearka, to explain things to him, that it was not what he thought to be.

However, she could not find him anywhere as she finally gave up after one hour before deciding to return to her room.

Auel had left, as she tore to the phone and dialed Dearka's number but there was no answer.

Exhausted completely after the day's happenings, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep at once.

The sunlight filtered in through the windows as Miriallia sat up immediately. Her clock showed that she was late, as she rushed to change and grab her schoolbag.

"Dearka, you must wait for me," Miriallia uttered as she resolved to explain to Dearka during break time.

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Kira whistled as he walked to class, swinging his schoolbag from side to side, the memory of the previous night's events fresh in his mind.

He had finally accomplished his goal. His weeks of practice had paid off. It was a long time since he had set this goal and yesterday, he had finally did it.

Grinning, he walked on, as he rubbed his hands in glee, as he turned around the corner.

Abruptly, he crashed right into someone as he felt himself tumbling onto the ground the next moment.

Picking himself up, he rubbed his shoulder, which had absorbed the impact of the crash on the ground.

Looking forward, he saw a familiar face doing the same as his glance met his.

"Kira," Athrun hissed with rage. He still could not forget how Kira had caused his beloved Cagalli to lose her sight.

"Well. Athrun," Kira began, his eyes staring right into Athrun's fierce gaze.

"You better screw off before my fists get your face!" Athrun spat right into Kira's face.

Wiping the saliva off his cheek in slow motion, Kira suppressed his anger and hatred as he tilted his head and looked smugly at his enemy.

"Say, Athrun, what if…" Kira paused as he let out a cackle, "What if your beloved Cagalli bedded someone else?"

"WHAT!" Athrun grabbed hold of Kira's collar as he pulled Kira to him. His left fist hung in the air threateningly.

"I was just saying what if, ya don't need to get so worked up," Kira laughed as he wrenched Athrun's arms off his collar.

"Well, there will never be a what if, cause she loves me only, you mind your words Kira!" Athrun warned as glared at Kira.

"Well, well" Kira began again as he raised his eyebrows and walked towards Athrun, "if I were you, I won't be too sure of that."

With that, he laughed, turned round and sauntered off, leaving Athrun standing there, his feet glued on the ground.

_What did Kira mean by his words? _Athrun thought. There seemed to be an internal struggle in his heart as he absorbed his words.

_Kira is just jealous and trying to drive a wedge between Cagalli and you, _Athrun told himself.

However, a part of him still shifted with discomfort as he fought to erase those words from his memory.

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Lacus held her books in her arms. Her bag swung loosely over her shoulder as she walked off as the bell rang for recess.

As she walked, she walked past her "former" dormitory block. Glancing up, she remembered Cagalli was there.

"Maybe I should visit her, after all I have nothing to do now," Lacus muttered to herself as she walked upstairs.

Knocking lightly on her door, she waited as Cagalli opened the door.

"Hi Cagalli, how are you doing?" Lacus greeted as she held her hand.

"Lacus! Don't you have to go for classes?" Cagalli recognized Lacus's voice as she gestured for Lacus to enter.

"Well, its recess and I happened to past by here, so I thought I might pay you a visit," Lacus explained as she helped Cagalli sit down.

"Thanks, you wanna glass?" Cagalli asked as she raised the cup of water in her hand.

"No. Thanks," Lacus said, "So how are you getting on with Athrun and Kira helping you around?"

"Kira?" Cagalli spat out suddenly as she heard his name being mentioned, "Who said anything about Kira helping me?"

"Well..," Lacus began as she shifted uncomfortably. She remembered that Kira had said that he would help Cagalli around, didn't he?

"I thought he might have been wanting to make up to you since the er…incident," Lacus lied as she decided not to voice her qualms.

"No…, I guess it was partly my fault, I lost control of myself when he wanted to visit me at the hospital," Cagalli began as she shook her head.

"I was mad at him, mad at him for causing me to lose my sight, but it was my fault that he was driven to that state, he shouldn't be blamed entirely," Cagalli continued.

"Well, I guess since my outburst that day, he had been too afraid to visit me," Cagalli finally ended.

"How can this be?" Lacus muttered lightly as a deep frown set on her face.

"What? I beg your pardon?" Cagalli questioned, failing to catch what Lacus had said.

"Oh, er…nothing, well, its almost time, I'll get going then, take care Cagalli," Lacus said as Cagalli walked her out of the room.

_Did that mean that Kira was lying? _Sighing, Lacus walked back to her class.

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Miriallia rushed out of the class as she ran to Dearka's class, hoping to catch him before he went off.

She saw him on the other end of the walkway, as she rushed to catch up with Dearka, to explain things to him.

"Dearka!" Miriallia called out as she tore forward.

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A/N: Well, this marks the end to this chap! If you got any comments or suggestions or just some feelings or predictions you want to express or let me read about, no matter how weird they are, please voice them…I love them all the same!


	15. Chapter 15: Icy heat

A/N: Hey, we meet again. Its good to be writing again. sigh Feelin real relaxed now that I can sit down and take a breather. Its been a busy week with sports training and pigging outs. Well so lets give the writer an encouraging pat on the back before he starts writing, k?

**Chapter 15: Icy heat**

Dearka and Miriallia sat side by side on the bench in the park. A cloud of silence hung over them.

"So, you said you wanted to talk to me…," Dearka started heatedly, the anger from the previous night had obviously not dissipated.

Miriallia opened her mouth but shut it again as she pondered for a way to explain to Dearka without angering him.

"Well, I'm not going to waste my time here if you are not going to speak," Dearka coughed as he stood up.

Miriallia grabbed his wrist, as she looked up. It had taken a long time to persuade Dearka to hear her out outside his classroom. She knew she had to start.

"Dearka…, well its not what you saw, that really didn't happen, I mean…" Miriallia's voice trailed off as she tried to find words.

"So," Dearka started, "you're implying that what my eyes have seen were wrong?"

"No, er…I mean yes," Miriallia stuttered, "I was just giving Auel tuition like I told you last time…,"

"Tuition huh?" Dearka retorted, "I didn't know chemistry had anything to do with sex education!"

"No, its not like that, will you hear me out?" Miriallia shouted, offended at what Dearka had said.

"That's what I've been doing, and what you've said has not done anything to prove what I had seen wrong yet!" Dearka railed back at her.

"Will you just let me explain, why are you always so stubborn?" Miriallia yelled at Dearka.

"So now I am stubborn, what about you? You are just shameless!" Dearka spat.

"Fine! You can believe what you want, I don't care!" Miriallia yelled at Dearka. Tears welled up unwillingly in her eyes.

"Great! You are in the wrong and you're still shouting at me? Who give tuition in her own room?"

"Where else do you expect me to do this? All the other rooms are locked at night, so Auel suggested that we could do it in his room or my room!" Miriallia tried to shout as she swept off the tears on her cheek.

"Well! So now its your room or my room huh? I've never seen someone so shameless before!" Dearka yelled, not absorbing what Miriallia had said.

"That's enough, Dearka Elsman, you choose to believe what you want! If you don't even trust me, there's no point for us to be together," Miriallia sobbed fiercely.

"So you wanna break up huh?" Dearka yelled, "Fine!"

Dearka stormed off as Miriallia sat on the bench crying. She did not understand why Dearka was so obstinate.

He had actually called her shameless, _how could he? How could he not even trust her?_

Miriallia wiped her tears as she looked at the bench. The memories of their past dates drifted into her mind.

_Hadn't he promised that he will love her forever? How could he want to break up? Didn't they go much together? Wasn't this all enough?_

The questions flowed unstoppably into Miriallia's mind as she shook her head. Dearka was a jerk. A jerk which she must forget…

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Lacus picked up her bag as she headed for her next class. The query was still in her mind. What actually happened? _Did Kira lie?_

Shaking her head, she resolved to clarify the matter with Kira. But before she could do that, another person came by.

"Hey Lacus," the purple-haired boy started, "Miss Campbell asked me to pass this to you to distribute to the class during science class."

"Yeah ok," Lacus said as she accepted the worksheets. Athrun turned to walk but Lacus called on to him.

"Athrun!" Lacus called out, "Er… I was just wondering…," _How should she put it?_

"Yes?" Athrun turned back to face Lacus.

"Well, you know ever since Cagalli had that accident," Lacus started as she saw the colour rise up in Athrun's neck,

"Well, were you the only one looking after her?" Lacus asked. Somehow she knew the answer before Athrun opened his mouth.

"Well, everyone has shown some sort of concern, but yeah, I was looking after Cagalli solely. Why do you ask?" Athrun questioned.

"Erm…" Lacus muttered, "A friend said that he was looking after Cagalli, but I now know he's just bullshitting as usual. Anyway see ya," Lacus said futilely and rushed off before Athrun could stop her.

Puzzled, Athrun scratched his head. Something felt amiss. This queasiness brought a frown on Athrun's forehead.

Just then, Kira's words echoed in his mind… _What if your beloved Cagalli bedded someone else? _... _If I were you, I won't be too sure of that._

_Did Lacus and Kira know something that he didn't? What exactly were they hiding? Did it have anything to do with Cagalli?_

These qualms clasped in slowly as he began to feel queasy. _Something just wasn't right… _Athrun thought in his mind.

Clasping his fist, he knew that there was only one person who could give him the answer.

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Miriallia sat in her room, the pile of wet tissue papers laid in a mess on the table by her bed.

Just then, there came a knock on the door.

"Er…Milly, I was just wondering if the tuition is still on…" Auel paused as he carried on uneasily, "if Dearka doesn't approve, I'll just…"

"Its ok," Miriallia smiled between her tears as she invited Auel into the room, "Dearka's just a complete jerk, and since when did I need his approval to do things?"

"So…are things alright between you two?" Auel concerned as he took the chance to pat Miriallia on her back.

"No, he just didn't believe me, there wasn't anything I could do…" Miriallia's voiced trailed off as she sat down.

"Oh dear!" Auel remarked in a highly false accent, "should I go talk to him, I mean, after all it was because of me that you…"

"No, Auel," Miriallia declined as she changed the topic, "Didn't you come here for tuition?"

"Er yeah! Well, its just I would like you to know Milly, you can come to me whenever you need me," Auel looked earnestly into her eyes.

"Thanks Auel, well lets get started shall we?" Miriallia smiled as she pulled out a chair for Auel.

_Maybe life wouldn't be that bad without Dearka… _Miriallia thought as she cleared away the tissues.

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Athrun knocked lightly on Kira's door as he steadied himself and prepared to speak to his enemy.

He had followed the sitemap on the school's website and found where Kira stayed. It had came as a surprise as his dormitory was admist the girls'. Athrun stood pondering just as he heard voice.

"Hey Yzak, that you? You can leave those things on my table. I'm taking a bath. The door ain't locked," came a voice from inside the room.

Not wanting to announce his arrival, Athrun did not answer as he stepped in to the room quietly and prepared to wait for Kira to come out.

Kira's room was a filthy mess. Clothes were strewn across the bed and floor. Books laid open paged and dog-eared all around.

Shaking his head in disgust, Athrun sat down as he saw something which attracted his gaze.

Lying on the floor near the television screen were a few videotapes. On closer look, the labels caught his eye.

The videotapes all contained Athrun's name…_Athrun #1, Athrun #2, Athrun #3 _and so on.

Bending down, a deep frown etched on Athrun's forehead as he picked up one of the videotapes.

_Why were there videotapes of him in Kira's apartment? What was Kira up to?_

Curious, he walked outside the bathroom and put his ear to the door. Kira was still showering.

Tiptoeing, he walked back and crouched down as he inserted a videotape into the player, making sure it was muted.

_Was he in the tape? Why did Kira have so many tapes of him? _Athrun pondered as he waited for the player to start.

The image flashed on the screen as Athrun saw himself in it. He was making a speech about mobile suit design.

_Why did Kira tape this? Did he have an interest in mobile suit design? _Athrun shook his head as he changed a tape.

This time it was Athrun expressing his thanks after winning a design competition. Again, this puzzled Athrun.

The following tapes never failed to contain a scene where Athrun was making a speech or anwering to an interview.

This intrigued Athrun as he off the player. Opening Kira's drawer, he found more of such tapes.

Just as he ran his fingers through the tapes, he felt a hand tap his shoulder…

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A/N: Yeah, so it ends here. Hmm… it's a weird chapter name but I thought it summarized the Athrun's chilling discovery and the heat sparks between Dearka and Milly…anyway, cya soon! (3 cheers for 20k words! Ya I know its mediocre compared to others but to mean its quite a lot esp its my 1st fanfic!)


	16. Chapter 16: Truth Reavealed

A/N: Well, 5 more days to Christmas, then soon it will be 2006. That means that my holiday is ending and school's starting again. Why is it so fast? Before I sink into depression, lemme write the next chapter first. And thanks for the reviews : )

**Chapter 16: Truth revealed**

This touch jolted Athrun, as his grip loosened and the tape in his hand fell onto the ground.

"Having fun prying around my stuff?" Kira mocked as he hoisted Athrun up by his collar, "Who gave you permission to do this?"

"I should be asking _you _this, why did you tape my speeches? Who gave you the permission to do it?" Athrun questioned as he shook Kira's hand off his collar.

"Well, well so you found out about it," Kira laughed as he looked fiercely into Athrun's eyes. "You really want to know the reason?"

"Spit your shit, what are planning?" Athrun stepped closer as he returned Kira's glare.

"You mean…what I _had planned_," Kira corrected as he continued snidely, enjoying every moment of this.

"Well, ever since you stole Cagalli from me…, you know that she only eyes for you…"

"I never did that. She loved me all along. Its not my fault that you are such a loser. No wonder she never loved you." Athrun interrupted.

"We loved each other, till you came in between us," Kira spoke mildy surpressing his anger, "Well, I figured out that you were not going to break us up, so I figured out I had to act."

"I devised a scheme to imitate your voice so that I would be able to trick Cagalli into doing something I very wanted…" Kira exposed.

"WHAT?" Athrun blared as he raised his fist, "what did you do to her, you bastard!"

"I took the chance when you went to your meetings and slept with her, but she did it willingly, so you can't blame me," Kira let out a long laugh.

"You son of a bitch!" Athrun said as he sent a blow into Kira's face, causing him to bleed from his nose.

"You are going to pay for this," Athrun said as he tussled with Kira and they wrestled on the ground.

"What are going to do? You can't report me, she did it on her own accord!" Kira yelled as he delivered a blow back.

However, what they did not know was that Cagalli was outside the door and she had heard every single word of the conversation.

Clutching her hands, she fumbled back to her room. _This is not true… _she told herself as she sat on her bed. _It can't be true, it just can't be true…_

Burying her face in her hands, she cried out as the tears came flowing out of her eyes. _Why was she so stupid? Why didn't she notice? What will Athrun do?_

Cagalli sobbed as she bit her lips. Hate seethed in her heart as she thought of that night…

She felt dirty. Contaminated. As she stumbled into the bathroom, she on the tap and soaked herself with cold water.

Squatting down, her tears mixed with the water. The pain in her heart seemed to pierce like a thousand needles.

She knew she had let Athrun down. She would never forgive herself for that.

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Athrun sat on his bed, his face covered in bruises, as he pounded his fist angrily on the bed.

His heart was fuming with rage as he thought of what Kira said…

_"I slept with her……"_

Athrun fist clutched so hard that his fingernails tore into his palm. However, he had one fear; whatever the pain he was feeling now, Cagalli would be feeling twice of it.

Slamming his fist into his palm, he knew that he it was not Cagalli's fault. However, he did not know how to break the news to her.

It was all too painful for him...

What he did not know was that he was not the only one knew of this.

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Miriallia busied herself as she cleared her books from her table and dusted her desk. She was very particular about the cleanliness of her room.

As she swept the dust into the dustpan, she noticed her handphone on the table. It had been a present from Dearka and still bore their photo on the back.

Gazing at the photo, Miriallia's eyes gradually started to wet. She remembered the many happy times that she had with Dearka…

However, just as she was reminiscing, a faint knock came on her door as she walked to open it.

"Hello Auel, what brings you here, there's no tuition today ain't it," Miriallia greeted as she peered outside.

"Oh! No…" Auel paused before he continued, "I was just wondering if you would like to watch a movie with me?"

"Er…just you and me?" Miriallia asked apprehensively, biting her lip.

"Well…no," he lied, "Athrun and Lacus should be joining us too," he made up sensing that Miriallia might not want to go.

"Oh! That's alright," she sighed, "Yeah, sure I'll go!"

"Meet you on Wednesday night at the cinema at 8 then, bye!" Auel waved as he walked off.

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Cagalli walked down the street, heading for the hospital as she her heart seemed to bleed. She was going to an operation but Athrun was not by her side.

Several days had past since that incident and Athrun had not looked her up, or rather, she had avoided Athrun, as she was too ashamed to see him.

_Flashback_

_"Hello Cagalli, I am calling from Archangel hospital to tell you that we have received a pair of suitable corneas and we would be able to do a transplant on you" the doctor informed._

_"That's…that's great," Cagalli wept as she put the phone down. She picked up the phone again, Athrun's image clear in her mind._

_However, she held on to the phone as she contemplated on what to say…_

_She had let Athrun down and she knew that what she did was going to be so painful for him._

_Tears emerged in her eyes as she clutched on the receiver before putting it back to its place._

_End_

She entered the hospital and changed into the clothes. As she was wheeled into the operating theatre, fear gripped her heart.

Her heart never felt so insecure as Athrun was not by her side. She had remembered that it was Athrun who gave her the courage to survive when she was wheeled in after the accident.

However, Athrun was not there to encourage her and this caused her to feel a sense of never-befor-felt fear. Fear of that he would not be by her side anymore…

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"Didn't you say that Lacus and Athrun would be coming along too?" Miriallia questioned as she glanced at her watch.

They had been waiting for 15 minutes at the entrance for the supposed arrival of Lacus and Athrun.

"Well, let me give them a call, wait here," Auel said as he walked off with the supposed intention of making a call.

Walking back after five minutes, he lied, "They had to stay back for tuition so I guess they won't be able to make it."

"They had tuition? I didn't know that," Miriallia shrugged her shoulders, "Well, the movie's starting, lets go in."

Grinning to himself, Auel walked into the cinema as they found their seats and settled themselves down.

Not long after, Miriallia started to squeal as she saw a ghostly figure emerge and enter the screen. Unknowingly, she clutched onto Auel's arm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it," Miriallia whispered to Auel, embarrassed.

However, two rows behind them, someone was fuming with rage as he stuffed the popcorn into his mouth, clearly unhappy at what he saw.

"I knew it," Dearka hissed under his breath as his tightened grip crushed the popcorn box.

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Cagalli opened her eyes as the images of the objects around her gradually focused into her view.

She could finally see again, however, pain pierced into her heart once again. How she wished that the first person that she would be able to see was Athrun. How she would like to see his smile…

But now, she was unable to do either. However, another thing was on her mind as she stepped out of her ward.

Cagalli knew she had to this. She knew she had to do this to dispel her fears once and for all. She stepped out of the hospital as she headed down the street, her hospital gown still on her.

The sun shone brightly over the azure sky as the birds twittered around her. However, the sunlight failed to penetrate her heart, which was filled with fear and darkness.

The nauseous feeling in her stomach increased gradually as she walked towards the convenience store.

Soon, the bright banner of the store came into her view as she pushed open the door gradually.

"Hi Miss, how may I help you?' a plump jovial lady greeted cheerfully as she saw Cagalli enter.

"I…" Cagalli paused as she turned her head and looked around the store. If anybody knew she was buying it…

"Yes, Miss?" the lady repeated as she gazed at the pretty Cagalli, admiring her smooth complexion which she once had.

"My friend need one of those things to test whether you have it…" Cagalli mumbled as she looked at her toes.

"Have what? Do you mean a pregnancy kit?" The lady clarified. She had been around for too long to witness such things.

Cagalli nodded. Silently in her heart, she prayed for hope. She followed the lady cautiously as she led her to the place.

"Here it is," the lady pointed to a rack, stacked with all kinds of pregnancy kits, as she sighed. _This was another misled girl, _she thought.

She turned back and started walking but Cagalli called out to her, "But…but how my friend doesn't know how to use this?"

"Well," the lady sighed again, "you retrieve your sample of your urine and drop it at this spot," she pointed.

"Then, you wait and see the result here," she continued as she moved her finger, "One line, you're fine. Two you're pregnant."

Cagalli paid for the kit as she stepped out and walked down the street. Her hands trembled as she held on to her purchase.

Silently, she prayed again as she headed into a nearby latrine. Pushing the cubicle door open, she entered cautiously.

She peeled open the top as she removed the pregnancy kit gently, her heart pounded furiously as she gazed at it intently.

She slowly retrieved a drop of her urine as she allowed it to drip on the tester. Grasping her hands she prayed as she closed her eyes.

_Please god, don't let anything happen to me. _She called out in her heart as she held on to the kit.

_Ten seconds…twenty seconds…thirty seconds_ passed. Nothing seemed to happen. Just then, a line appeared faintly…

Cagalli held on to her breath as she saw the line appearing gradually….

Wait, was another line appearing…?

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A/N: Hey, interesting ain't it? Alright, the answer will soon be out, in the meantime, see ya folks!


	17. Chapter 17: Blissful Reunion

A/N: Yo people, merry very belated Christmas and wishing you folks out there a great 2006 to come. Thanx for all the support you've given me thus far, keep it going of course. Now now, lets begin then as we countdown the remaining hours to 2006…

**Chapter 17: Blissful reunion**

Cagalli's hand trembled as she awaited. 1 second…2 seconds…3 seconds passed…as the reading on the test kit focused.

One line. There, marked on the test kit was the answer to her fears. She was not pregnant. She did not bear Kira's child.

Collapsing on the ground, Cagalli cried. The tears she shed were not that of sorrow but relief.

_God was not that cruel after all. _However, Cagalli's tears did not dry up as another fear was still present, one that laid much deeper in her heart.

"Athrun…I'm sorry," Cagalli sniffed under her breath. However, what she did not know was that Athrun never blamed her. Never.

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Somewhere in the canteen, a lone figure sat, his face buried in his arms. A deep frown etched across his forehead.

"What's happening to me?" Dearka questioned himself. Somehow, his life seem to lose colour ever since he broke off with Miriallia. Everything had since turned to be colourless, dull and boring.

He did not have interest in anything he did anymore. Not even his favourite sport, soccer, succeed in lifting his spirits.

Ever since that incident, a place in his heart seemed to have been chipped off and this resulted in a never-before-felt feeling of emptiness and loneliness.

His ears seemed to itch without Miriallia's constant ticking. His eyes seemed to tear without Miriallia's smile. His skin seemed to dry up without Miriallia's touch. Everything seemed to be breaking apart.

Frustrated, Dearka tore at his frocks. He knew he had been too harsh with Miriallia when they confronted.

_Should he apologize? _Dearka thought. A part of him really wanted to do this so that Miriallia would return to him. However, there was another voice which represented his pride, the one thing he could not get over.

_She was the wrong one in the first place, there is no reason I should apologize. She should be the one apologizing to me and begging for my forgiveness. _The voice spoke out.

Struggling, Dearka continued to vent his frustrations by tearing his hair. Why did things have to end up like that?

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Auel watched Miriallia as she walked across the field through his room window. She looked so pretty even though she was casually dressed.

He had been fantasizing about her the past few nights as his interest in her grew stronger by the day. His mind was always on her, not only during school but after too.

"Damn it, I want her so badly," Dearka pounded his fist in his palm as he sat on his bed.

Flipping through the calendar by his bedside, he found that Miriallia's next lesson with him would be the next night.

"Shit! I have to have her!" Auel clenched his fist as he thought of a strategy. Miriallia was not even showing signs that she liked him.

Pacing around the room, he tried to think of a way to get Miriallia to be with him. The slow way did not work, deep in his heart, he knew that Miriallia loved Dearka still.

Pausing, he came up with a strategy. As he began to dial Miriallia's number, an evil scheme hatched in his mind.

"Hello Miriallia," Auel greeted cheerfully as Miriallia answered.

"What is it, Auel?" Miriallia asked casually as she hoisted her bag on her shoulders.

"I was just wondering if tomorrow's venue could be changed to my room instead," Auel requested as he rubbed his hands in glee.

"Why the change? Hasn't it always been at my room?" Miriallia asked surprised, puzzled at the sudden request.

"Well, I have some chemistry stuff to ask you but the materials are rather inconvenient for me to bring to your room so…"

"Well, I'm fine with it, alright meet you tomorrow then," Miriallia put her phone in her pocket as she walked on. However, she did not have the slightest idea what scheme did Auel have up his sleeves.

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Athrun walked along the pavement as he the breeze blew coolly against his warm cheek.

He had made up his mind to tell Cagalli what Kira had done. After all, it was not Cagalli's fault. She was the victim.

However, Cagalli seemed to be avoiding him. She did not pick up any of his calls and was always not present when he showed up at her room, or rather. appeared to be not present.

_Where could she go without his help? _He had asked himself many times but could not find the answer.

Suddenly, he knocked into someone he did not see coming up in front of him. His knees absorbed the impact of the fall as he tried to stand up wobbly.

At that moment, both of them looked up. There in the middle of the pavement, Athrun and Cagalli stood, their gazed locked upon each other's faces.

"Cagalli! It's you, why have you been avoiding me?" Athrun asked as he took Cagalli's hands.

Cagalli looked into his blue eyes. There in front of her was the person she was most afraid to see.

"I tried calling you on your phone but you didn't answer and no one responded when I called up at your dorm, where did you go?"

"I was busy," Cagalli lied as she looked away from Athrun. The guilt she felt in her permeated through her heart as tears formed around her eyes.

"Listen Cagalli," Athrun's voice suddenly turned serious, "I want you to know something. I know its going to be a big blow but please keep calm because…"

"No! Athrun! I'm sorry. Please don't break up with me! I really can't do without you! It was really not my fault!" Cagalli broke down as she clung on to Athrun's hand.

"Cagalli!" Athrun grasped her shoulders, "How did you know?"

"Please Athrun, you've got to believe me. I didn't know that it was Kira until I overheard it outside his room," Cagalli begged.

"Cagalli, I never once blamed you for this," Athrun said as he hoisted her up by the shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"It was Kira who planned all this. I never blamed you, not at all, and who said anything about a break up?" Athrun said as he looked lovingly at Cagalli.

"Really, Athrun? You really don't blame me?" Cagalli asked as she wiped her tears off her cheeks.

"No, Cagalli, I don't blame you" Athrun replied as he lunged forward and hugged her.

Cagalli wrapped her arms around Athrun, as the fears in her heart evaporated in the warmth of Athrun's body.

"Thank you," Cagalli smiled as she pulled Athrun even closer to her. Everything was going to be fine after all.

After what seemed like ages, they finally pulled apart. Enjoying the sensation of the breeze blowing against their faces, they walked down the pavement together.

"Athrun, I've wanted to tell you, but I was afraid of the worst. But now…" she looked at Athrun as she gave a smile that melted his heart.

"What is it, Cagalli?" Athrun asked as he planted a light kiss on her forehead.

"I've gone for the operation a week ago. They found a suitable pair of corneas for me…"

"A suitable pair of corneas…does that mean…" Athrun placed his hand gently beside Cagalli's eyes as he looked expectantly.

"Yes, Athrun, I can see now, I can see you right in front of me," Cagalli raised her hand to touch Athrun's face. She was finally reunited with Athrun again.

"Your eyes, your nose, your mouth, I can see them all now," Cagalli smiled as she traced Athrun's face with her finger.

"Cagalli, why were so foolish? I never once blamed you, you should have told me earlier."

"I thought…never mind, that doesn't matter anymore, what matters is that we are together again."

With that, the two lovers continued walking along, their hands interlocked. Reunion was blissful and to Cagalli, that was most important.

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Auel rushed back to class, as he hoisted up his bag, he thought of his evil scheme he had planned for the night.

"Miriallia, you are gonna be mine," Auel muttered as he ran across the walkway out of the school.

Running down the road, he spotted the convenience store which sold the thing he needed.

"It should be in here," Auel said under his breath as he banged open the door, coming face-to-face with a lady.

"Youngsters!" The lady hissed under her breath as she surveyed Auel.

Auel paced around the store, his eyes darting from side to side as he searched for the item he needed.

"Here it is," Auel said as he picked the small box up. Removing a few coins from his pocket, he paid for the purchase.

"Having troubles sleeping huh? Must be the schoolwork," the lady stuffed the box into a plastic bag as she handed it to Auel.

Auel nodded weakly before heading out of the store, rubbing his hands in glee…

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A/N: Well, here it ends…keep your spirits merry as 2006 comes……joy to the world, the world cup's here! Bye and see you guys soon…Oh yeah, its give exchange time…I gave you the chapter…its time for the reviews XD


	18. Chapter 18: I'm sorry

A/N: Hey, school has started and life's going to be busy now so I may not be able to update that often. But I will try my best to do so, perhaps in the weekends maybe… Anyway, I found out what a simple "sorry" could do today. Me and one of my pals were having a dispute and were on the verge of fighting, but somehow, my mind told me not to and amazingly, I extended my arm and offered an apology and guess what, everything ceased and we even chatted as we walked out of the school. Its really amazing…anyways on to the chapter if you are bored with what I shared…

**Chapter 18: I'm sorry**

Dearka crumpled the piece of paper and threw it with perfect aim into the dustbin beside his table.

He simply could not concentrate on his schoolwork. Frustrated, he stood up and flung himself onto the bed.

_Milly, I just can't do without you, _Dearka thought as he stared blankly at the ceiling above, his eyes following the rotating fan blades.

Everything now seemed to be black and white, he simply could not find interest in anything he did.

Everything had once seemed to be so colourful when he was with Miriallia, love, was colourful…

As he reminisced the innocent and happy days he had spent with Miriallia, a smile gradually appeared on his face. He was always so happy with her.

Pausing, he thought hard. _How can his pride compare to love? Maybe he really was in the wrong, after all he did not even listen to her explanation…_

_Alright, _Dearka thought, _Maybe, I should apologize to her and give her a chance to explain…_.

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Kira swung his Billabong bag over his shoulders as he walked out of class. He whistled as he walked on in good mood.

_Cagalli, you're bound to be mine. There's no way Athrun's gonna accept that. _Kira smirked as he rubbed his hands.

After months of his schemes and plots, he was finally going to be with Cagalli. He would make her love him, love him even more than Athrun.

He had already planned it all. He predicted that Athrun would leave Cagalli silently, and his plan would be to go up to her and comfort her.

He had finally beaten his arch rival in love once and for all, there was going to be no doubt about that, Kira thought.

Suddenly, a shocking sight greeted his eyes as he turned around the corner.

"Athrun! Cagalli! You're…" Kira was lost for words. There in front of him stood Athrun and Cagalli, hand-in-hand, smiling and chatting away.

"This cannot be! What is happening?" Kira exclaimed as he stood with his jaw dropped. _His months of effort…_

Cagalli finally saw Kira for the first time after months. There in front of her stood the bastard, the guy she hated the most in her life…

"What do you think then? That we'll break up?" Cagalli confronted Kira fiercely, "Or that Athrun will leave me? You're totally despicable!"

With that, Cagalli swiftly raised her hand and slapped Kira hard on his cheek.

"Cagalli…" Kira uttered, totally lost as he placed a palm on his burning cheek.

"That's for being despicable!" Cagalli yelled as she followed by delivering another slap on his other cheek with her full force of her arm.

"And that's for being a total moronic lowdown piece of waste-dirt!" Cagalli railed as she turned her back and walked off.

Kira stood there in a state of shock. He could not believe that this was happening after his months of tireless schemes. _This can't be happening, _Kira thought as he collapsed onto the ground.

Athrun stood above him. How he wanted to punch Kira, to strangle the person in front of him for all that he had done but he suppressed his anger.

He gave Kira a cold, long and hard stare with his fiery blue eyes before turning to walk off, leaving Kira alone along the walkway.

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Auel awaited anxiously for Miriallia's arrival as he kept a constant gaze on the clock. He was finally going to be able to fulfil his desire…

Not long later, there came a knock on the door. Auel opened it expectantly as he saw Miriallia standing there, looking pretty as ever.

"Hi Auel, what's that you said you wanted to show me?" Miriallia questioned as she entered the room and settled her bag down.

"Er…" Auel mumbled. _What was he going to make up? _"Well, that can be kept till later…its still brewing…"

"Brewing? Are you concocting something? No wonder you said it was inconvenient. Well, this I've got to see!" Miriallia exclaimed excitedly.

Nodding meekly, Auel gestured for Miriallia to sit down. _Don't rush now, be patient, _he told himself.

"Well then, since the concoction ain't ready yet, why don't we start on something else first?" Miriallia suggested eagerly as she embarked on her lecture.

Auel gazed longingly at Miriallia, completely paying no heed to what she was saying. Occasionally, he nodded when Miriallia looked at him, but otherwise, drew no reaction.

_She was just so pretty. _Auel thought as he finally could not suppress his desire. Standing up, he suggested, "You've been talking for so long, why don't I get you something to drink?"

"Oh," Miriallia jumped at the sudden interruption, "Sure, anything will do," Miriallia smiled as she swept her fringe off her forehead.

Auel walked to the fridge and retrieved a can of coke. Quietly, he slipped in a heavy dose of his sleeping pills with trembling hands.

His heart pounded furiously as he swirled the can surreptiously in an attempt to dissolve the pills.

"Here, this should be okay," he said as he passed the can to Miriallia. He watched Miriallia drink as he prayed silently in his heart that she did not taste any difference.

"Thanks, you don't mind if I place the can here do you," Miriallia pointed. Auel nodded in relief as he let out a sigh.

"I am gonna get you…" Auel mumbled under his breath.

"Get u…what? Sorry didn't catch what you said," Miriallia turned and faced him with a puzzled look on her face.

"Er…" Auel stuttered nervously, "I mean u….uranium. Yes. I er…don't know what is the disadvantage of using uranium in nuclear plants."

"Oh…, I thought I mentioned it earlier that it produced radioactive waste?" Miriallia clarified.

"Er…yeah, I must have missed it." Auel said nervously as he sighed again. _Luckily he was fast._

Just then, Miriallia's phone rung. "Sorry, hang on," Miriallia said to Auel as she answered the call.

"Hello Milly…, its er… Dearka here," Dearka introduced nervously from the other end of the phone.

"Dearka…," Miriallia spoke silently. It had been a long time since she said this word. Ever since they broke up, Miriallia had been trying hard to forget him. However, as she spoke the name, something inside her triggered the memories, memories of their past…

The days they had together…the days they were apart…the break up… Suddenly, Miriallia swerved back to reality.

"What do you want?" Miriallia snapped as the painful images of their separation came flowing back to her mind.

"I…I just want to say…" Dearka paused. He just could not bring himself to say it. _Why was it so difficult? It was just two words…_

"What do you have to say? Spit it," Miriallia retorted heatedly.

"Well, just listen…I would like to…I want to say that I…I" Dearka stuttered as he bit his lip.

"Well, if you got nothing to say, I'm not gonna stand here and waste my time listening to you. And don't call again!" Miriallia lashed as she sought to press the end button and stowed the phone away in her pocket.

Dearka tore at himself. _Why couldn't he get the two words out? Was it that tough? _Just as he wanted to put away his phone, he found that Miriallia had not disconnected.

"Hello? Milly? You there?" Dearka questioned anxiously, shouting repeatedly through the phone.

Just then, he heard voices coming from the receiving end. Pausing, he pressed the phone against his ear and listened intently.

"Who was it? Dearka?" Dearka heard a voice which he recognized as Auel's voice. Anger immediately seethed through his heart.

"Yes, though he acted like a mute," Miriallia sighed as she continued, "Shall we get on with the tuition?"

Upon hearing this, Dearka started cursing himself again. _Why was it so difficult to overcome his pride?_

"No…I think you might be a little sleepy now…why don't you take a rest here…" Dearka heard Auel suggesting followed by a cackle.

Just then, Miriallia started to feel drowsy. Her head started spinning and everything around her seemed to blur and merge.

"What…what's happening, Auel you…what did you put in the drink?" Miriallia tried to raise her voice but found no strength to do so.

"Something that will help you and I sleep better," Auel laughed as he settled the tipsy Miriallia onto his bed.

"No, Auel, no…you…" Dearka heard Miriallia exhaling before hearing a string of laughter from Auel.

_Miriallia was in trouble. Auel…he must have spiked in her drink! _Immediately, Dearka tore towards Miriallia's room.

Dearka sprinted across the field and made his way up, his right hand clutched Miriallia's picture tightly.

Turning around at the level, he rushed towards Miriallia's room and tried to wrench the door knob open but the door was locked.

"Damn!" Dearka yelled as he kicked open the door. There in the room, he saw Auel crouched over Miriallia, his shirt unbuttoned.

"Go to hell!" Dearka yelled as he wrenched Auel away from Miriallia and punched him right smack in the face.

"What the…" Auel clutched his bleeding nose in pain as he fought away from Dearka's raining blows and staggered out of the room.

Immediately, Dearka turned to the recline Miriallia, she was still awake but seemed to be very weak.

"How are you? Are you okay? Did that bastard do anything to you?" Dearka questioned anxiously as he helped Miriallia sit up.

"Dearka…" Miriallia cried as she collapsed into Dearka's arms. She had never ever felt so secure in Dearka's arms.

"Here have a glass of water," Dearka handed a glass of water to Miriallia as he sat down beside her, "How are you feeling now?"

"Better," Miriallia said as she gulped down the drink. Turning, she looked at Dearka as she opened her mouth…

"Dearka," "Milly," Miriallia and Dearka started.

"You go first," Miriallia said as she smiled at Dearka.

"Milly, I'm sorry. I really am. Would you forgive me? I know I was wrong, please Milly…" Dearka begged as he held Miriallia's hands.

"It's okay. I was to be blamed too," Miriallia smiled as she fell into Dearka's embrace. She loved Dearka.

Dearka face broke into a smile once again. Everything was going to be fine again. As he looked around, the things around him seemed to regain their colour…

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A/N: Well, now we can see what a simple apology can do. Just two words, "I'm sorry" could make a big difference as I myself came to learn of today. Its really…really amazing. Anyways, see ya soon… I hope... ☼Bye then☼


	19. Chapter 19: Accidental Assault

A/N: Hey people, really nice to meet you all again. I guess it's really only on the weekends that I can start updating this fic. There's only one word to describe school…hectic. Its back to the days of rushing and stress. Well lets start the story now before I rush to finish my assignments…

**Chapter 19: Accidental Assualt**

The sun settled in as Dearka and Miriallia stepped hand in hand into the park which brought back many vivid memories. Dim lights shone upon their faces as they treaded on the path, enjoying each other's company.

"The weather's so comfortable tonight," Miriallia remarked as a cool breeze brushed across her face.

"Yeah, its been a really long time since we enjoyed a pleasant evening together. Without any others, just the two of us," Dearka replied, smiling at Miriallia.

Nodding, Miriallia smiled. It had indeed been a long time since they had any time together. Walking alongside Dearka here in the park, she felt truly relaxed. The tension and stress of the recent events eased gradually as she felt lighter.

"You know, Miriallia, the days without you were simply hellish for me. I simply could not concentrate on anything I was doing. Everything seemed to lose its meaning without you," Dearka said, remembering the solitary moments he had spent.

"I felt the same too. I had actually wanted to forget you but I simply found no way to remove not even an inch of you from my mind," Miriallia confessed.

"Yeah, now I know what they mean when they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I really missed you Milly," Dearka turned as he embraced Miriallia.

Miriallia wrapped her arms around him. A familiar sense gradually oozed back to her. She could feel the warmth of Dearka's torso in the cool night, a feeling which she had missed so dearly.

As they broke gently from their hug, Miriallia suggested, "Well, this Friday's a holiday, why don't we have some fun at the theme park?"

"Sure, I would love to. After all, we had only went there once before. Say, why don't we meet at nine?" Dearka proposed.

"Alright," Miriallia inhaled the cool air and exhaled gently, "Ah…I can't wait to go there and have fun…"

"Well, you don't need to wait…You can have fun now…," Dearka chimed with a twinkle in his eye.

Wrapping in embrace once again, a small peck on the lips slowly evolved into a soul-lashing kiss. Dearka could feel the moistness of Miriallia as their tongues danced in and out.

Smoothing her cheek, Dearka ran his fingers down to her neck as he plunged into Miriallia's tight T-shirt. Miriallia shuddered slightly as she waited in anticipation.

Lowering her arms, she worked gradually inside Dearka's shirt, as she felt his rock-hard abs.

Passion engulfed them inside its ring of fire as memories of the old times crept gradually back to them.

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Mia Campbell walked into the pub. It had been a screwed up week for her. Her teachers had reprimanded her for her slack attitude, her room had experienced a mini-fire and her left ankle hurt from a sore which resulted from walking in broken heels which got rolled over by a bicycle.

Ordering a half-pint, she sat down and sipped as she observed the people around her. Many people she did not know were dancing around, obviously enjoying themselves or perhaps trying to free themselves from troubles of their lives.

Taking another sip, her eyes darted around once again. This time, she saw someone familiar in the corner of her eye.

"Kira…" Mia breathed gently. Kira was one of the few good-looking guys in the school and she had long had eyes for him since the day she stepped in school.

"Yo, what's up? You chilling here by yourself?" Mia tapped Kira on the shoulder as she walked over.

"Piss off!" Kira hissed. He was already looking half-drunk as he brought the beer to his mouth with trembling hands.

"What's going on? Had a tough'all week? Well, I've mugged out twice anything you had," Mia chuckled as she sat down beside Kira.

"What do you know?" Kira remarked angrily as he took yet another sip. _What would anyone know about his plight?_

"Yeah right, I ain't know nothing, but going by me' books, it should be about a girl," Mia predicted with her experience.

Kira did not answer. The agony in him was indeed brought about by a girl. He simply could not believe that after all he had gone through, he still could not get Cagalli. The pain was indescribable, what would this poser girl know?

"Yo, I guess I hit the nail. Chill dude, you don't go knocking your nuts out just because of a girl. Come on, I'll help mend ya boy's broken heart," Mia offered as she hoisted Kira up.

Kira pushed her away as he staggered out of the pub onto the street. Mia followed behind as she supported him.

"Yo brotherin! What's up with thee? There ain't no need to get violent yo," Mia placed an arm around Kira.

"Get lost!" Kira shouted as he pushed her arm off before staggering down the street in a zig-zag fashion.

Mia ignored him as she led Kira back to school. It was dark when they finally arrived at school.

"Come on," Mia led Kira along. She wanted him so badly as she took an effort to drag Kira along the walkway.

"Screw off, poser!" Kira clambered on. He lurched a few steps before collapsing on the ground on fours.

"Check this out dude, you can't walk your baby steps and here I'm helping you but instead of gettin' no thanks, I get a bunch of crap," Mia remarked in anger.

"I never asked for your help!" Kira yelled over his back. Mia ignored him as she helped him stand up.

As he walked on, painful memories resurfaced in his mind. He thought of Cagalli…how she had broke up with him on that fateful night…

He thought of how long it had took him, how hard he had practiced for the devil scheme…but all had come to naught.

He recalled the moment when Cagalli and Athrun had walked hand-in-hand and faced him, how she had slapped him…

Just then, Mia placed her arm around him again.

"SCREW OFF!" Kira yelled as he shoved her off and pushed her with all his might. What resulted was a push much stronger than what he had intended.

Mia fell off her balance as her head knocked right into the stone pillar along the walkway. She collapsed onto the floor as fresh red blood oozed from her forehead.

Kira froze. He did not expect this to happen. Rushing over, he squatted down as he tried to wake her up, shaking her head gently. However, all that greeted him was silence. Mia lay recline on the floor.

Kira's hand trembled as he lifted it up. It was covered with blood, fresh blood. Panicking, he ran to the nearest toilet. _What was he going do? Was she …dead? Was this going to be the last of him? Was he going to be labeled a killer?_ The questions ran wildly in his mind.

Looking into the mirror, he saw that not only his two arms but his T-shirt too was stained with blood. Frantically, he let the water run as he tried scrubbing the blood stains off his hands and wear.

His heart pounded furiously as he finally washed the stains off his hands However, the stains on his T-shirt refused to come off. Just then, he saw a pile of clothes lying on the bench in the toilet...

He recognized it immediately. It belonged to Athrun. He had always worn the white jacket. Athrun was taking a bath…

Suddenly, an idea struck Kira. He knew what to do. Gulping, he extended his arm silently…

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Dearka walked with anticipation as he pictured the day ahead. _It was going to be the old fun times once again, _Dearka thought as a smile broke out on his face.

"Hello Milly," Dearka greeted enthusiastically as Miriallia opened the door.

"Dearka! Why are you so early? I've got no make-up on…oh my god…hang on, my hair," Miriallia shut the door, ruffling through her messy hair. Rushing to the toilet, she found a comb as she made an effort to straighten her messy frocks.

Dearka chuckled to himself. Miriallia was just so cute and bubbly. It had indeed been way too early as Dearka had awoke very early in anticipation of having fun with Miriallia and could not wait to see his angel.

Finally, Miriallia rushed back and opened the door for Dearka. She had combed her hair and washed her face.

"You are really early. Come in and wait first then while I get ready," Miriallia signaled for Dearka to enter as she shut herself in the bathroom once again.

Soon they were on their way to the theme park as Dearka purchased two drinks for them when they reached the entrance; they were both thirsty after their vivid conversation along the way.

"Thanks," Miriallia sipped as she questioned joyfully, "Well, where're we going first?"

"How about this?" Dearka pointed to the Viking as they queued and bought the tickets for the ride.

"You sure? Don't wet your pants up there and expect me to clean it for you!" Miriallia laughed as she took Dearka's hand.

"Look who's talking," Dearka smiled back as they went up the boat together. It was a long time since they were so happy.

It was a fun day, and both were tired physically and mentally from all the shouting and screaming after the day. They had played for more than five hours without resting. After all, it had been a long time since they had fun together.

As they made their way to the exit cheerfully, Dearka paused. Something at the end of the park caught his eye.

He had seen someone…someone which caused his smile to vanish. Gradually the memories crept in to his mind…

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A/N: Lets end here now…hehe... I've got to go rush my assignments before night settles in. Maybe I was a bit too sadistic with Mia...oh well. Please if you've anything interesting that you've experienced, do share with me in your reviews, k? It'll burn out my vexed feelings of school. Thanx and bye!


	20. Chapter 20: Old lover

A/N: Woohoo! Another milestone chapter! It has been a long long time since I last updated, I know, so here's a sorry and if your memory fails you, read the previous chapter to refresh! Anyway I'm in a rather happy mood now, _which is quite rare ever since school started, _so I better treasure this feeling, stop talking and start writing…

**Chapter 20: Old lover**

The sun shone brightly as the morning mist cleared. A bunch of girls walked along the corridor, their conversation full of hot gossip.

"Did you know what happened here in school last night?" the first girl posed the question to her group.

"Obviously. I'll bet that there is no one in the school who doesn't know about this," the second girl replied.

"Yeah, the ambulance was called in late at night. I went down and saw them carrying the girl onto the stretcher. Gosh! Her head looked a terrible mess," the third girl shuddered as she spoke.

"I heard that she's a girl from our school. Her name was like smear…" the first girl's voice trailed off.

"Its Mia, she's in the class next to mine. Never liked her much anyways, was too much of a poser," the second girl remarked.

"I bet none of you got closer to her than I did. Gosh, I could even smell her blood…" the third girl boasted.

"Eeeks! That's disgusting!" the first girl squealed as her face contorted in a look of disgust.

"I wonder if they'll find out who did the job. Gosh! If it was anyone from the school, he might as well prepare to pack his bag and wait to be expelled," the second girl shook her head as they walked on.

Kira stood by the window, her last statement sent chills down his spine. _Had what he had done been enough to cover up? Was he going to be found out?_

The fears engulfed his heart as the memories of what he had done last night flowed into his mind…

-----

_His heart pounded furiously as he finally washed the stains off his hands However, the stains on his T-shirt refused to come off. Just then, he saw a pile of clothes lying on the bench in the toilet..._

_He recognized it immediately. It belonged to Athrun. He had always worn the white jacket. Athrun was taking a bath…_

_Suddenly, an idea struck Kira. He knew what to do. Gulping, he extended his arm silently…_

_Lifting the jacket, he took care to hold it using only his fingernails. He did not want to leave any fingerprints on it…_

_Kira turned, looking at the cubicle. He could hear the running still. His conscience struck him. Athrun would be imprisoned…_

_The next second however, another image struck him. He saw how Athrun had walked up with Cagalli to him, their hands locked…his gaze…_

_How he hated Athrun. The bastard was the cause of his misery. He was going to pay for messing up his plans…_

_Treading silently, he made his exit as he walked along the icy cold corridor floor. His heart pounded as if there was no tomorrow…_

_Approaching Mia, he gently squatted down. He could see that she was still breathing lightly. The blood had formed a big pool around her head._

_Carefully, he dipped the sleeve of Athrun's jacket in the pool of blood. His hands shivered as he took a deep breath._

_Closing his eyes, he placed the jacket over her head. He bit his lip as he stood up. Taking a last look Mia, he walked away._

----

Kira gulped. His face had turned white at the memory. He could feel his hands grow colder than ever.

_What had he become? _Kira questioned himself. _Why had he descended to such a state? Where had his conscience gone to? Where was his humanity?_

Kira clutched at his brown hair as he felt his heart pounding. _There was no way he was going to turn back now._

_His future would be ruined. He would be spat at wherever he went. This, was the only way…_

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Dearka rubbed his eyes. He could never forget that face. _Was it really her? Had she come back?_

Releasing Miriallia's hand, Dearka rushed towards the far end, leaving Miriallia to catch up with him.

_It was her. She had really come back. There was no mistake about it. She was still the same…_

"Jasmine, is that really you?" Dearka questioned as he walked up to her.

The girl turned back immediately. Gradually, her face turned into a smile, a smile all too familiar…

Her face, Dearka noticed, had grown more beautiful than ever. Those emerald eyes brought back those memories…

Her skin still emitted that healthy red glow, as if it was a fresh apple, although however, Dearka noticed, her face seemed tired.

"Dearka," Jasmine carefully spoke the word. She could feel her eyes starting to water. It was a word that held a great meaning to her.

"I knew you would wait for me," Jasmine continued as her face lit with a cherry smile. She was finally reunited with Dearka.

"I…" Dearka paused as he bit his lip. This had come too suddenly. He never expected her to come back…

"Dearka," Miriallia shouted from behind as she rushed up, catching her breath, "where were you go…who's this?"

Dearka bent his head low. _How was he going to do this?_

"Hi, I'm Jasmine," Jasmine introduced herself with a gentle smile, as she offered her hand, "and you are Dearka's friend?"

"Yeah," Miriallia smiled as she took Dearka's arm, "Girlfriend to be more exact."

"Girlfriend…" the word seemed to stab Jasmine in her heart. Turning to the Dearka, her eyes posted the question.

"I…" Dearka was stumped for words. _How was he going to break this from her? He could not hurt her…_

"Dearka, you…" Jasmine could not believe that this had happened. _After all the years abroad…_

A tear formed at the corner of her eye…_this can't be happening…_but before Dearka could say anything, Jasmine turned and ran off, her frail hand sweeping the tear from her eye. _How could he…?_

"Jasmine! Wait!" Dearka shouted as he tore after her. _He had to explain to her..._

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"Cagalli, where are we going today?" Athrun greeted cheerfully as he stepped into Cagalli's room.

"Well, it can't be anywhere outdoors, can it?" Cagalli remarked as she pointed to the heavy storm outside the window.

Just then, Cagalli took a deep sneeze.

"You all right? You're catching a cold?" Athrun concerned as he lifted her head gently.

"It's the storm these days, I feel so cold nowadays. Where's your jacket?" Cagalli asked.

"I dunno, I think I've lost it, couldn't find it anywhere after my shower that day," Athrun remarked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hmm…How careless of you," Cagalli smiled before taking another sneeze, "Did you hear about what happened that night?"

"Yeah, poor girl. I really pity her," Athrun sighed as he opened the door, "Shall we go?"

"Yeah," Cagalli stood up as the pair walked out of the room together. Just then, Athrun saw the headmaster of the school walking along the corridor with a cop beside him heading in his direction.

As they passed, the cop suddenly opened the file he held in his hand as he glanced at the person in the file.

"Hey wait kid!" the cop turned around as he called out to Athrun.

Athrun turned around. _What did a cop want from him?_

"Is he the one?" the headmaster turned to ask the cop. His face looked graver than ever as his white eyebrows knitted in a frown.

The cop nodded grimly, as he put a hand on Athrun's shoulder, "I'm afraid you'll have to make a trip with us back."

"What?" Athrun's jaw dropped in astonishment, "What's happening? Where are you taking me?"

"We have reason to suspect that you were involved in a case of pre-mediated assault, so please follow us," the cop explained.

"Assault? I didn't assault anyone. You've got the wrong person! Cagalli…I really didn't do anything!" Athrun shouted as the cop placed his arm firmly around him and led him away.

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"Jasmine, wait!" Dearka called after Jasmine as he caught up with her finally.

"Could we have a talk?" Dearka pleaded as he held her hand.

Jasmine stopped. The touch was all too familiar.

Pausing, she turned to look at Dearka. Dearka saw that she had cried her eyes sore. _No…I can't hurt her…not Jasmine…_

Jasmine looked at Dearka with her emerald eyes. _How could he do this to her? After all they have been through…_

"Please," Dearka begged earnestly. _He had to explain…_

The sincerity was too strong. There simply was no way she could refuse. Slowly, she began to nod…

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A/N: For those who are concerned when Lacus will reappear, _gosh --", _it will be a very key role, I assure all Lacus fans. For all Kira fans, if you are wondering if he has lost his humanity, I can assure you that he's folly was misled by love. For all those beginning to search who jasmine is, yes, it's just a fic char, I've always thought that was the best name ever for a girl... Hmm…Well well, somehow, I can sense the end coming near, not that near, but I don't think I can hit another milestone…but then again they always say the end of something is also the beginning of another. _Hint hint _Anyways, bye and to all readers out there…cheers and long live ff :D

PS: Sorry for the long-windedness, after all it _is _rare that I'm in such a happy mood :D


	21. Chapter 21: Unraveling Mysteries

A/N: Really sorry, I know it has been one month…yeah, one whole month since I last updated. Are you still there my readers? School life is just so hectic, I hardly get more than 5 hours of sleep a day sleeping past midnight and I can feel my energy draining out bit by bit. Once again, my apologies…

**Chapter 21: Unraveling Mysteries**

The sky was overcast and mild breezes blew across the cheeks of two teenagers as they took a stroll along the beach.

"It's been a long time since we've last walked down this beach," Jasmine remarked as they trod barefoot on the sand.

"Yeah, I really miss the softness of the sand here," Dearka replied, glad that Jasmine did not confront him immediately.

"Its ok, Dearka," Jasmine paused as she turned to look at Dearka, "I don't blame you, not at all. After all, with my leaving that day, I had anticipated that something like this may happen."

"I…" Dearka bit his lip, "I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you, Dearka, after all I left so suddenly that year…" Jasmine's voice trailed off as her head dropped slightly.

"Yeah," Dearka uttered softly. He could still remember that day so clearly…

----

_Dearka trotted to the marble fountain that day as he waited for her as usual before they went to school together._

_In his hand he held, a piece of woodcarving he had spent the previous night carving. It was Jasmine's 14th birthday that day, he would give her a surprise…_

_It was a carving of a canary, a bird which he knew was Jasmine's favourite._

_Time past slowly as Dearka sat on the steps of the marble fountain, his eyes on his watch. _

_Where was she? Dearka thought anxiously. Jasmine had never been late for their meeting…_

_Ten minutes…Twenty…Thirty…An hour passed before Dearka finally slung his bag on. There was clear disappointment in his eyes._

_Just then, he received a call._

_"Hello," Dearka voiced as he placed the phone to his ear. However, there was no reply from the other end…_

_Just then, he heard someone sniffling at the other end of the phone…_

_"Is that you, Jasmine?" Dearka called out as he pressed the phone on his ear, desperate to hear her voice._

_"I'm sorry," Jasmine cried softly as she spoke the words._

_"What? What's happening, Jasmine? Are you all right?" Dearka questioned uneasily. Somehow, an ominous feeling arose in his heart…_

_'I…I've got to leave…Goodbye Dearka," a frail voice spoke out.._

_"Wait! What do you mean you're leaving? Where are you going?" Dearka asked, but all that came from the other end was silence…_

----

Dearka sighed as the memory resurfaced in his mind. There was still one mystery however…

"Where did you go after we spoke that day?" Dearka asked lightly as they walked on, their feet buried in the little grains of sand.

"I guess you never knew," Jasmine sighed, "My parents had to go overseas to work, and I had no choice but to follow them."

"I was all alone overseas. Every night, I thought about you, how I really missed you then,"

"I would cry as I thought about how you were worrying about me. I really wanted to call you, but I knew that it was going to be a long time before I would be back,"

"I knew that I could not force you to wait for me, for I myself did not even know when I would have the opportunity to return,"

"So I told myself that I had to make you forget me. I had to be erased from your memory so that you would move on,"

"You know what, Jasmine," Dearka started, "I've never forgotten you. You were always in my heart even after you left. It really pained me that day you left."

"It's been three years since you left that day. Three whole years. I went around searching and asking where you've gone every day before I finally knew the truth."

"I waited everyday for you to call me, to tell me that you've come back but I was disappointed every night."

"It was then that I met this girl called Miriallia, she was just like you, fun-loving and bubbly. I guess part of my attraction to her was a result of being with you," Dearka admitted.

"Yeah, I could see that Miriallia's a great girl also. I guess you two are really suited for each other…" Jasmine smiled.

"Jasmine…you really think so?" Dearka asked.

"Yeah," Jasmine nodded, "You two would really make a great pair,"

"Jasmine, can we still be friends?" Dearka questioned as he looked sincerely into Jasmine's eyes.

"Yeah, of course," Jasmine plastered a smile on her face, "Well, Miriallia must be searching for you…"

"Jasmine, please call me if you need my help ok?" Dearka offered.

"Sure, but I will not be staying here for too long. I had just wanted to see you for one last time before I went back and my wish has already been fulfilled," Jasmine answered lightly.

As they waved goodbye, Jasmine turned around. She knew that she had to let go. To let Dearka find his own happiness…

Slowly, a tear fell from her cheek…

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"How many times must I tell you? I didn't assault that girl! I don't even know who she is, why would I want to hurt her?" Athrun explained, slamming his fist on the table in exasperation.

"Stop fooling with us, kid. We found your jacket by the pool of blood that night. How do you explain that then?" the officer asked grimly.

"I don't know how my jacket got there! I've told you I was bathing inside the toilet and when I came out, my jacket was missing already!" Athrun cried out as muttered a curse under his breath.

"A likely tale indeed. I've been in this cop business before you were born. You can't fool me like this," the officer warned.

"Do I look one bit like a violent maniac capable of committing assault to you?" Athrun questioned as he stared at the officer, "stop wasting your time on me and go find the real offender!"

"Aha! You're trying to divert my attention! You're one scheming lad!" the officer exclaimed.

Athrun sighed as he laid over the table. _This stubborn officer just won't believe me, what should I do?_

"How about…" Athrun suggested as he thought of something, "Why not ask the girl, she'll tell you the truth!"

"The problem is that she is currently in coma and can do nothing more than lying on the bed," the officer explained.

"Argh!" Athrun lifted his hands in resignation, _Why was he so unlucky?_

"You admit it, don't you?" the officer chuckled.

"NO! All right, when will she wake up? When she wakes, we'll all know the truth ok?" Athrun asked as a last resort.

"Its not ok. Cause no one knows when she'll wake! Now lad, you can't explain why that jacket was there and you don't have an alibi. I'm afraid you still remain as the prime suspect," the officer finally concluded, closing the file on the desk as he knew he could not get anything more out of Athrun.

Athrun sighed as he knew that he was in deep shit this time. All the evidence pointed to him. Silently, he cursed the bastard who landed him in such trouble.

However, he knew in his heart that Cagalli would help him. She would be able to find out the real person who did it…

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Cagalli paced in her room, pummeling her fists as she thought of what to do.

_Athrun would never assault anyone. _This Cagalli knew in her heart. She believed him deep down that he would never do anything of that sort.

_Who could be the one then? Why was Athrun arrested instead of the person? Was he framed? _The questions ran wildly in her mind.

Where was Athrun the night before the incident took place…? The shower room. He had mentioned that he had lost his jacket in the shower room that night the incident happened. Whoever framed Athrun must have taken his jacket that night…

There might be something there. Instantly, Cagalli rose as she made her way to the shower room on the ground level.

As she reached the room she looked around before going in. Scrutinizing every corner she looked in every nook and cranny in hope of finding a clue.

As she stepped from cubicle to cubicle, her hopes of finding a clue grew smaller and smaller. Furthermore, it had already been two days since the incident happened. What existing clues may have already been long washed down the drain.

Finally, she gave up as she let out a long sigh. _How she wanted to help Athrun…_But there was nothing she could do.

However, just as she was prepared to step out of the room, she spotted something gleaming lying underneath the bench at the corner of her eye.

"What could it be?" Cagalli wondered aloud as she carefully walked towards it and bent her head low as she stuck her hand in to remove the object.

"This…!" Cagalli exclaimed as she held a collar pin in her palm. It was no ordinary collar pin, in fact, she knew exactly whom it belonged to.

_It must be Kira! He must have framed Athrun! He was the only person who possessed that object. After all they did have some conflicts between them…_

"Kira! You bastard. I know that you're the one who did this!" Cagalli hissed under her breath as she stood up.

Just then, as she was about to turn around, she felt a blow on her head as she fell spread eagle on the floor unconscious.

Beside her, the attacker squatted down as the attacker took out the collar pin Cagalli held in her arm and pocketed it silently.

"Kira, you will not come to any harm…" the attacker whispered silently…

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A/N: Yeah, here ends it. Anyways, I've got a great new inspiration for a new story so watch out in a month or so…that's if you're interested. Sounds cliché but I know it really feels good to receive blessings, at least for myself, so wish you readers out there a great week ahead!


	22. Chapter 22: Love

A/N: Hey people! Its been half a year since I touched this story. WOW! Well, main reason was that I was holed up in boarding school for 3 months…and no, not because I had poor grades. It was just a learning experience thing…Anyways, I accomplished quite a lot in this ½ year, say…who has climbed Mt. Kinabalu in Sabah before? Its amazing…well, on to the story which I had to read again to absorb…

Special Dedication: **The Winggoddess – **Thanks!

**Chapter 22: Love**

Lacus picked up the collar pin. The cold metal piece gleamed brightly under the strong white light.

It was indeed Kira's collar pin. There was no doubt about it.

"Kira…" Lacus whispered under her breath. Memories of their past encounters floated vividly in her mind.

_Why? Why was she so in love with Kira? _Lacus questioned herself. They had merely a few encounters before, yet, there was this strange but strong attraction for him.

_Was this love? _She did not know. All she knew was that she had to protect him. To prevent him from meeting harm.

She knew she had to dispose of the collar pin.

Stepping into a cubicle, she tossed the collar pin into the bowl and flushed it hard.

She gazed fixedly at the swirling waters. In her mind she knew, _Kira was safe._

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The iciness of the marble floor gradually reached and activated her nerves as Cagalli stirred.

"Where am I?" She sat in a daze, "What happened?"

Pulling herself to her feet, the images started to flash at the back of her mind.

_She had come to look for clues…she had found a collar pin…kira's collar pin…_

"Collar pin," Cagalli muttered as she searched frantically around her in hope of discovering the only clue that she had found.

"Where is it?" Cagalli bit her lip anxiously as her eyes darted from corner to corner, "Why can't I find it?"

Falling to her fours, she searched every corner but all was in vain. However, she knew that it had been Kira's collar pin.

"Kira…" Cagalli breathed as she stood up. She knew that he was the only person who could help Athrun.

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Dearka glanced at his watch. He was half an hour early for his lunch appointment with Miriallia.

He licked his lips as he took the menu from the table, running his fingers through the list of items as he tried to decide which dish Miriallia would like.

Just then, through the corner of his eyes, he saw someone familiar.

"Jasmine!" Dearka called out as he walked over to Jasmine's table, "You're here alone?"

"Dearka…its you," Jasmine whispered frailly as she turned her head.

"Hey, you don't look too good, what's wrong?" Dearka said as he pulled out a chair and settled himself down.

"Nothing…" she said hurriedly as she scrambled to clear the packets on her table.

"What's this?" Dearka questioned as he held up packet of tablets. Reading off the label, he saw that it was medicine for cancer.

"Its none of your business!" Jasmine replied as she snatched the packet out of Dearka's hands.

"Jasmine….is it true? What the label stated…" Dearka's voice trailed off as he leaned forward and grasped her by the shoulder, looking straight into her eyes.

"Is it true Jasmine?" Dearka spoke more firmly when he received no reply.

Jasmine took a deep breath. _Why? Why did Dearka have to know about it? _She thought.

Looking up, she saw those unmoving eyes. Those were the eyes that she had not once forgotten in the past three years.

Slowly, she nodded.

Dearka sank back into his chair. He could not believe this. _How could god be so cruel to her? Why did he have to do this? Why?_

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Cagalli paced up the steps as she rushed to find Kira. Much as she hated him, she knew that she had to try to persuade him.

To persuade him to tell the truth.

Walking along, she saw Kira emerging in the opposite direction.

"Kira!" Cagalli called out to Kira as he stopped in his tracks.

Looking up, Kira saw that it was the girl whom had once been in love with him.

"Kira, we need to talk," Cagalli started as she looked deeply into Kira's eyes.

Settling on a bench, Cagalli turned and looked hard at Kira.

"Kira, I need you to tell me the truth. Were you the one who caused Mia to be in her current state?" Cagalli asked gravely.

"What?" Kira jolted up as he turned towards Cagalli. _How did she know?_

"Kira, you have to tell me the truth," Cagalli repeated, "Don't make me hate you more than I already do."

The words pierced right through Kira's heart. He knew that he had done something very serious, something that was against his conscience.

"I…I…" Kira stuttered as he turned away, biting his lip.

"Kira! I found your collar pin by the bathroom where Athrun lost his jacket. Were you the one who framed him?" Cagalli questioned.

"It…it wasn't me," Kira denied as he closed his eyes.

_Should he tell the truth? Would Cagalli forgive him? _

"If it wasn't you, who could it be then?" Cagalli paused as she looked at Kira with disgust.

"Do you know that Athrun has been accused of assaulting the girl?" Cagalli started, "Do you know that what you did could put Athrun in prison and ruin his future?"

"Athrun! Its Athrun again? Why is it always him? Do you know why I have become like this? Its all because of him!" Kira exclaimed as he pounded his fists.

"So, you were the culprit! You were the one who framed Athrun! I never knew you could be so evil! Where has your humanity gone to?" Cagalli cried out as she stood up, glaring at Kira.

"Cagalli…" Kira started as clenched his fists.

"I had hoped that you would turn for the better, looks like you're hopeless!" Cagalli shook her head, "You're so disappointing…"

"Well, if it wasn't for Athrun, I would not have turned into this!" Kira retorted, "I will never forgive him…Never!" he cried out as he stormed off.

Cagalli opened her mouth to curse, but knew that it would be of no use. Kira would not help Athrun.

Sighing, she buried her face in her palms as she thought.

_There was only one person who could help Athrun now…_

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"What…What is it?" Dearka questioned as he held Jasmine's hands. He could feel the warmth of her hand, slipping away slowly, like sand grains falling slowly.

"Its cancer of the brain," Jasmine spoke as she took a deep breath, "The doctor discovered it two months ago."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Dearka's voice trembled as he spoke.

"I…I…" Jasmine started, "I didn't want to see you suffer. After all, it would be better to suffer alone than let both of us suffer together."

_She had not wanted to see Dearka like this. The very sight of him like this drew pain in her heart._

"Don't be silly," Dearka spoke warmly, "How could I let you suffer alone?"

Jasmine looked up at Dearka. He was still as gentle and caring as before.

"Is it curable?" Dearka squeezed her hands as he spoke.

"The doctor says I'll have to remove the tumor before it can be cured," Jasmine tried to smile.

"So, are you going for the operation?" Dearka questioned.

"Actually, I have already decided to go for it. I just wanted to see you one last time in case…"

"There will be no 'in case'," Dearka spoke reassuringly, "you'll get well in no time."

Jasmine gazed at Dearka. The corners of her mouth rose as she smiled. She felt secure in his prescence.

"Dearka…" Jasmine spoke, "Would you come and spend the weekend with me? I'm flying back on Monday for the operation…"

Dearka embraced Jasmine as he whispered by her ear,

"Sure"

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Kira trod slowly across the courtyard. The conversation with Cagalli still rang in his ears.

_"You're so disappointing…" _

Kira sat on the grass as he grasped his hands tightly. Those words were like sharp daggers, piercing right through his heart.

His heart ached. It ached with the deepest pain he had ever felt.

He thought of the things he had done. _Where was his humanity?_ He questioned himself as he inhaled deeply.

Slowly, a clear drop of tear formed at the corner of his eye.

A gust of wind blew past his cheek as the tears came rolling down.

The emotions escaped from his heart as he poured out his anguish and sorrows.

Just then, a voice spoke softly from his back.

"Kira," Lacus sat down beside him, "Are you alright?"

"Lacus…." Kira turned as he saw the familiar face, "Its you…"

Without warning, Kira embraced Lacus and started crying. He started emptying his sorrows to Lacus.

Lacus patted Kira lightly on the back of his head. Her heart seemed to cry together with him.

As she lifted his head slowly, he could see that his eyes were sore. Slowly, she put a finger to his eye as she comforted him.

The love she felt towards him was so strong. She just knew that she had to protect him, to love him.

She loved him.

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A/N: Lets end off with a quote which I find very meaningful and comforting:

You may just be one person in the world; But to one person, you may be the world…


End file.
